Twin Destinies
by The Imtas
Summary: After a night of forbidden romance, Rey hides Kylo's children in a remote and private galactic orphanage in the Kamino System. Jai and Eela now grow up in a world ruled by their unknown father, Emperor Kylo Ren, not knowing who or what their fates or parents are. What will their destinies be like? Their lives? Their love lives? (AU. Takes place after The Last Jedi)
1. Chapter 1: The Two Fates

Chapter One: The Two Fates

...

A storm. That was nothing new on Kamino. But this particular storm was the strongest to ever exist. Supposedly, in the year 1045 BBY there was a storm so strong, the planet rose up and down in a massive turmoil, the Kaminoans prayed to their ancestral god Illias to save their planet.

Their wish was granted.

On the anniversary of the alleged Storm Day, over a thousand years later, it appeared that the daily storm grew ever more powerful, buffeting the floating cities above the water like arrows. Some waves reached so high the tips kissed the bottom of the communication poles.

Rey piloted her new orange Resistance Delta-8 Sprite-class starfighter onto the landing platform, three cloaked Kaminoans approached her.

Ana Wei, a fair white skinned Kaminoan bowed, and offered her the way inside the shelter with a hand, as thunder crackled loudly overhead.

The self taught Jedi removed her rain soaked hood off her head, looking about and showing her pretty young face to the three Kaminoans, still holding the two squirming bundles in her left arm.

"A Master Jedi." Ana Wei said lightly, "Kamino has not been graced by a Jedi in such a long time."

"Uh..Yes, thank you. Are you the Mother of this specific colony?" The beautiful dark brown haired young woman asked.

"Why yes, I am." The Kaminoan said, as the white lights glowed on her equally pale skin, curtsying a little.

"May we speak...in private?" Rey asked, still holding the two bundles, brown Jedi cloak still resting atop her shoulders and concealing a lightsaber.

"Of course, please come into my study." Ana Wei said, snapping and dismissing her servants by her side.

Rey followed the Mother into her study, and as all shelters were colored in Kamino, it was lined with blue and white colors.

Ana Wei sat in her egg chair, crossing her hands together as Rey sat across from her in her white desk.

"What is your name girl?" The Kaminoan Mother asked.

"R-Rey."

"Rey, might I see what you are holding?" Ana Wei asked in her usual light voice, extending her hands forward.

"Of course, just be careful with them." The young woman said, passing the two bundles carefully towards her.

"Blessed Illias." The Kaminoan gasped, "They're beautiful."

The babes squirmed in their bundles, as the Colony Mother held them, seeing their tiny perfect faces. Their eyes were still closed, they did little more than coo and squirm.

"Illias? I thought most Kaminoans didn't believe in him any longer." The young Jedi said.

"Most don't. Only the Conservatives do." Ana Wei said, passing them back to her carefully, with her long thin arms.

Rey swaddled them, keeping them close to her chest and bouncing a little, "Er...Mother Wei...do you still run Wei's Galactic Orphanage?"

The fair Kaminoan nodded, bowing her tall head, "Of course I do. Luckily, parents are becoming more..responsible these days with the return of the Galactic Empire. But we are still up and running."

"But is this still one of Ren's cloning colonies?" Rey asked, pointing downwards at the floor.

"No. Our facilities were moved to another group of shelters not far from here."

The young woman sighed in relief, "Thank goodness! I was almost worried there for a moment." She said, a double bundle free hand over her chest.

"Jedi Rey." Ana Wei said, crossing her hands again, leaning on her desk before asking in her lighter than air voice, "Who is the father of these children?"

"Doesn't matter." She said the second this was asked, shaking her head, "They need to be safe. And they need to be here."

"Mm." The Mother murmured, "And if these two were to know their mother was a Jedi, that would be-"

"Bad. Right." Rey affirmed quickly, nodding, "Please. Keep them safe." She begged, "Don't ever let them know I came here, make up a story, or or or tell them anything else. Anything. Please."

"What are their names?" Wei asked.

"The boy is Jai. The girl is Eela."

"J-ay? Ee-lah?" The Kaminoan asked, trying to pronounce them as they were foreign to her.

"That's right." She said, still holding them, "Promise me. No matter how much they ask when they grow older, never. Never. Never tell them I am their mother."

"I promise." Ana Wei said bowing her head again, before fixing her elegant and royal purple robe.

"Thank you." Rey said, wiping aside a tear.

Ana Wei looked at her, "If you truly wished to keep the identity of their true mother away from them, wouldn't it be wiser to separate them?"

"No." The young Jedi said, "That would be cruel to them. They need to be together."

The Kaminoan nodded again, "I will do everything in my power from preventing them from knowing who you are. And who they are. Should the Empire be concerned about who they are?"

"N-no." The woman said slowly.

"No? Well then." Ana Wei's round black eyes with light blue irises burned into Rey's light orange ish hazel ones, "I promise to keep them safe. No matter where in the galaxy these two may end up, I will keep them safe and oblivious to their mother."

The young woman wiped tears from her eyes, "Th-thank you."

Ana Wei snapped twice in the air for servants to come take the babes away, as Rey looked down at her children with tears in her eyes.

"Eela. Jai. Goodbye. G-Goodbye. I-." She choked up, still sitting in the white office chair of Mother Wei, "I love you. So- so much. More than anything. A-anything." She leaned over and kissed them both on the bridges of their tiny round noses, before passing them to the servants.

The Jedi stood up, before leaving, still wiping tears from her eyes with a brown cloaked right arm.

As she stood on the landing platform, glimmers of sadness in the corners of her proud eyes, Rey looked at the two bundles squirming in the servants arms as the sliding glass electric doors lined with white paint closed.

The young woman turned around to hear a transmission played from the familiar voice of General Leia Organa, "Master Rey, we need you. Immediately."

"Y-Yes Commander!" She choked out, yelling in the horrifically loud thunderstorm.

The Jedi got back in her star fighter, before flicking on a few buttons and soaring away, the machine whirring up and lifting up off the platform.

..

As Ana Wei saw the flecks of the storm pound the window of the nursery, babes squealing, cooing and sleeping, she crossed her arms, seeing nurses dote over the two babes on their raised white plastic cribs.

The Colony Mother rubbed her pale white chin, her small silver colored ring pressing against the opaque color of her skin, deep in thought.

 _I don't know what those two hold. I don't know if Emperor Ren is involved. But, I must do my duty. As a true and honorable Kaminoan would._

Wei smiled.

 _Who's Rey again? I don't remember her. I don't even remember a Jedi._

Hearing the babes crying she still kept rubbing her chin in thought.

 _All I remember is being told not to tell them._

She chuckled lightly to herself, walking away from the nursery.

...


	2. Chapter 2: How Clay is Sculpted

Chapter Two: How Clay is Sculpted.

...

...

Coruscant was as frightening in its balance of Imperialism and Hatred as it was crushingly apparent. The New Galactic Empire had the classic logo, the same the new Emperor's grandfather had used.

Storm troopers marched in columns, all citizens watching calmly from fearful gazes.

In the Imperial Throne Room his Majesty had constructed, his High Holiness, Lord Protector of the Galaxy, and Galactic Emperor of the the Known Systems, Kylo Ren, was sitting on his black throne.

Behind him lay enormous red and black banners that held Imperial colors, the young man thinking nothing.

Besides the same red armored guards similar to those who guarded Snoke that stood like statues at his side, there was no one in the throne room except for him. He always sat on his throne the same way, right black booted foot over his left knee.

His right elbow would always rest atop his right knee, his leather gloved hand rubbing his well shaven chin.

It was one thing to sit on a throne and see a world grow smaller beneath your feet.

The galaxy was another thing.

General Hux walked into the throne, kneeling at the black haired man's throne. He kissed the hem of his long black robe and whispered, "My Emperor."

"Stand General." He said calmly, his voice now booming and deep since his ascension as Emperor, echoing across the massive throne room.

Hux rose, and the Emperor rubbed the tip of his nose, "Do you know what today is?"

"E-Empire day my lord?" The man asked.

"Yes. Good General, good. However, there is no cause for celebration. If my reign is to be a lengthy one, there must be some...changes." Kylo said, still sitting on his throne, looking aside before turning his head to the man standing on the steps below him.

"Changes?"

The young man nodded, speaking softly, "You're incompetent. Your loss of the Dreadnought Fulminatrix would be acceptable, were it not for the simple fact that you couldn't command anything more than cadets. Snoke should've had you executed."

Hux breathed in quickly, "My lord, I have been a general for-"

"Too long." Kylo interrupted by blinking calmly, "Your subordinate officer, Colonel Mylon, is highly more skilled as an Infantry Commander and an Admiral. He will be replacing you as High Commander of the Imperial Army."

"Mylon is a sheep." The man said with a clenched jaw.

"And you're a fool." The Emperor said smoothly, seeing the dismissed man turn around, "Oh and, er...Hux is it? As you're no longer General Hux...You command, or commanded, a decent portion of my forces, we both know that, so don't think you can stage a coup, I made sure to it." Kylo said, blinking, and opening his eyes slowly.

"Thank you my lord." The man said through tensely gritted teeth, understanding Mylon had replaced him completely.

Seeing Hux walk away, the carbon black haired young man sitting on his throne pressed a red button on its right arm rest with a gloved finger.

A servant appeared instantly, "My lord?"

"Send for the new General Mylon immediately."

"Yes my lord." The man said quickly, bowing and leaving.

..

Kylo overlooked a map of the galaxy in his war room, both of his black gloved hands resting atop it, before a tall, handsome and strong blonde man appeared in the doorway and knelt, "My Emperor." He whispered to him.

"Stand General."

Mylon bowed upon standing, "My lord, it is an honor to receive this promotion. What did you wish to speak to me about?"

"A new Imperial census must be taken." He said, looking up to him from the map, face mask-less as it had been, "I want to know the name, location and race of every citizen in my new Empire. Be it of any species, Rodian, Twi'lek, I need to know, every single citizen. Easier to keep track of them that way isn't it?"

"Of course my lord." The young general said nodding, agreeing immediately.

"You will direct this census, and go about the galaxy collecting this information. Bring two," Kylo stopped, pressing a gloved finger to his upper lip for a second, "No, three Dreadnoughts with you to show some strength. Make me proud General, do not make me regret this decision."

"I shall not my lord." The blonde man said quickly, bowing.

Kylo grunted in acknowledgment, throwing a left hand over his shoulder to dismiss him.

After Mylon left, the young man looked upon what was his.

The galaxy. Stars systems, quadrillions of beings.

Every time he wrinkled his hand into a fist, it felt like he was so powerful. To control so much, to have so much power felt almost dream like to him.

 _What do I want?_

The young man shook his head, leaving the now empty war room.

 _The answer's simple._

 _I already have it._

 _..._

 _..._

Ana Wei's head nurse, the Kaminoan female Ui, was watching the toddlers roll about in their pens with high glass walls, from her small egg shaped chair.

A less than a month old Jai was wearing diapers, same with his twin sister. The two were pushing and pulling over a red rubber toy shaped like a disc, their small fists clenched around it, fighting.

Eela giggled and cooed, wearing her own diaper too, sticking it in her mouth before her twin brother grew angry and extended his hand to pull it out of its toothless confines.

Baby Eela pushed her brothers stomach away with a tiny foot, Jai still reaching for it.

The baby used the Force without knowing it, summoning the toy to his hand and giggling happily before sticking it in his own mouth, using his toothless gums to bite down on it.

An Imperial officer, acting on his superior's orders, flanked by two Storm troopers and holding a blue lighted touch able data pad, was walking past babies in their plastic pens and writing down names as Ana Wei spoke to him.

"That one's?" The man asked, pointing his stylus at them, taking a picture of him with his data pad and preparing to write.

"Its a bit strange to take data profiles of babies don't you think?"

The officer gripped his black stylus in hand, "Lord Ren wanted a census of the entire galaxy, and that includes babies. And that includes you too Kaminoan." He warned, looking up and down the Colony mother disgusted, "I'll ask again, what is his name?"

"J-Jai." The white skinned being said.

"And that one?" He said, assuming correctly they were twins after taking a picture of the other baby.

"Her name's Eela."

"Eela and Jai." The officer said, making sure their names were written down correctly on his blue lighted data pad, "How old are they?"

"Only a few galactic weeks. Three."

"Three weeks." The black capped officer said slowly, still writing down the data with his stylus, "Race: Hu-man. Occupation: None." He said still writing, "Family names?"

"They don't have one."

"Su-rname: None." He said, enunciating perfectly as he wrote, "Who are their parents?"

Ana Wei said nothing.

"I asked you a question, Kaminoan." He spat again, with a disgusted tone, eyeing her long earring that fell far in a braid, looking up and down her extremely tall stature, "Who are their parents?"

She spoke the truth, "A girl came in the night."

"Her name?" The black clothed Imperial asked, still completely concentrated on his data pad, as Eela cooed, reaching for Jai's mouth with the toy in it.

"She gave no name." Wei said in her light voice, shaking her thin head on her long neck.

He sighed exhaustively, "What did she look like?"

"She had red hair and green eyes. She was very tall, and bore no other discernible features." The Kaminoan explained lying, light and airy voice floating, as the Officer jotted down data on it.

"Very tall for you?"

"No, for humans Officer."

The man hit [Complete] on his data pad and moved on to the next pair of babies.

As the three Imperials turned their backs and concentrated on the other square glass pen across the aisle in the nursery of Wei's orphanage, Eela had stolen her brother's red rubber ring toy and stuck it in her mouth, only for Jai to use the Force unknowingly and reach for it with his twins foot in his stomach, the toy zooming to his tiny hand.

Eela wailed, throwing her head back and crying loudly as her brother giggled, sticking it in his mouth gurgling happily.

...

...


	3. Chapter 3: Fumes of Fate

Chapter Three: Fumes of Fate

...

 _Aboard the Resistance Flagship, the Corellian Corvette Tiberius I_

...

Rey frowned in her chair, thinking about her children, as an even farther aged Leia looked over a map of the galaxy, wearing the same white gown Mon Mothma had worn when delivering her speeches.

The graying woman sighed, speaking in her heavily weakened voice, "The outer rim territories have been frightened into submission. We are a mobile force, as it was before. We have a small chance of survival, and hope seems lost."

"My husband, Han Solo. Is dead." She said standing up and gripping her cane, "My brother, Luke Skywalker, is dead. 'What hope do we have?' I'm sure you must all ask." Leia asked, "Ask yourselves, and try to find it in your hearts to keep believing in the Rebellion. Never give up that hope. But, do we have any hope? Anything shining beacons across the galaxy? Do we?"

Rey said nothing, the Jedi still frowning silently as she stared at her brown boots, Rebels looking at each other worriedly in the briefing room.

Seeing this happen, Poe Dameron squinted at her, thinking.

After all the rebels left, Leia leaned on her wooden cane, as a helmeted Resistance soldier looked at her worriedly, "Are you all right Commander?" He asked, seeing the aging woman clutch at her chest with a weathered hand.

"I-I'm fine." She said, leaning on her cane and hobbling out of the war room slowly, her two helmeted guards helping her.

..

"Rey. Rey." The pilot repeated, running towards her as Rebels filed out of the war room, "Rey, what's wrong?"

"What's right Poe? What's right in the galaxy right now?" She asked rhetorically while not looking at him, speed walking down the hallway angrily as the young man kept following her, trying to catch up.

"Rey, listen to me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." The Jedi snapped, as Finn and Rose Tico sat on a plastic white bench observing this, before standing up from their conversation and following them, the group passing a chatting pair of rebels, the two of them moving aside leftwards to let them pass.

"What's wrong?" The ex-Imperial soldier asked.

"Nothing. Is wrong." Rey repeated, walking towards her chamber, seeing it and trying to loose them. She pressed a button on the console next to the white door, making it open with a whoosh, and marching inside.

She sat on her bed and her friends walked into it.

Rose knelt to speak to her, making eye contact, "Hey, tell us what's wrong okay?"

"Everything!" The young Jedi snapped, "Ren has taken everything! Force users have been been deemed criminals! There is nothing right in the entire galaxy!" She said desperately with a tinge of anger.

"Leia said to never loose hope." Finn said sheepishly, looking aside while leaning on the sliding metal closet door of Rey's bunk.

"Yeah, well she's sick, and we all know it." She said, snapping again angrily while nodding and looking at him.

Poe and Finn looked at each other, before the pilot spoke, shaking his head, "No. This is not the Rey I know. You'd never loose hope like this. Something else is bothering you."

"Tell us." Rose pleaded.

"Come on Rey..." Finn muttered, turning his head to her from looking aside.

The young woman stood up off her bed, "I can't!"

Everyone in the room kept looking at her, before Rose spoke, "Does it have to do with you taking all those months off to Jedi Luke's island?"

"Wh-What?" She asked slowly, sitting back down.

"Yeah..." Finn noted, "That was pretty un-Rey like. To just take nine months of "Jedi-self training" like that, leaving us suddenly. Matches human pregnancy strangely enough."

At that sentence, everyone grew pale faced at Rey's expression.

Before everyone could start spouting questions, the Jedi flicked her hand and closed the open door to her bunk, the button activated by the Force.

"What I am about to tell you may never, never leave this bunk."

Finn nodded slowly. Poe looked like he was going to say something, but Rose slapped his thigh while still kneeling, shutting him up.

Rey breathed in deeply, "Almost a year ago, I began...Force speaking to Emperor Ren again."

"Force speaking?" The pilot asked.

"Apparently we can speak to each other across the Force. It works in ways most beings don't understand." The Jedi muttered, brushing a dark brown lock behind her ear and pressing her palms to her bed, "We kept talking...and decided to speak together. Without the Force this time."

She looked down at her boots, "We met at the Great Temple on Yavin 4."

"And?" Poe asked, fist tightening behind Finn's back, who knelt to her.

"And. That happened." The young Jedi admitted, still refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"You know Commander Leia can expel you from the Resistance for treason right? Talking and...meeting with the Emperor?" Finn noted, still looking at her along with everyone in the room.

"Please don't remind me."

The pilot nodded, clenching his jaw in slight anger by pressing his teeth tightly against each other, nodding while looking aside.

"So then what?" Rose asked, still staring at her with Finn, as Poe rubbed his scratchy chin.

"Then I decided to keep them whence I realized I had them. Birthed them on Ahch-To of course."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The deserted Storm trooper said, shaking his head before looking into Rey's eyes moving his head upwards, "Them?"

"Twins." She said softly, looking down.

"Where are they?" Rose asked, gold crescent medallion still worn proudly atop her chest.

"In an orphanage."

"What system?" Poe implored instantly, his head snapping to her.

"D-Doesn't matter. They're safe, that's what matters."

"What do you mean that doesn't matter?" Finn asked in disbelief, standing up from crouching next to Rose, looking at the Jedi sitting on her bed, "We need to get them guards. Or or bring them here, in the fleet where its safe!"

Poe nodded instantly, "That's right. There should be a blaster protecting every inch of that orphanage!"

Finn kept nodding like him, agreeing, "Right. I'm sure Leia can spare a squadron."

Rose shook her head, biting her tongue lightly while looking at Rey's reconstructed light saber tied to her hip, "I can't believe it. The only hope for the galaxy is sitting in diapers some place playing, while we sit here doing nothing about it."

"NO!" She roared, standing up, making everyone snap their heads to her, "Do you have any idea why I kept them away from all this?" She said, gesturing to the ship with an angry hand to the door, "Because I loved them. If they want to grow up as rebels, its their choice. A good mother, no. A good person lets their children decide their own fates. Guarding that place will only draw attention."

"Rey." Rose said standing up to meet her standing up from her bed as well, "You know very well how desperate everything is. Them. Those children are our hope. We need them."

"I don't want that for them." The Jedi said in her grey robe, her dark brown hair reaching her shoulders, crossing her arms and looking at them, "If they want to grow up anywhere, doing anything I will support them. I love them, when you all have children you'll understand." She finished, looking up and turning her head to look at them all.

The other three Resistance fighters stayed standing, looking at her as silence blanketed her bunk.

...

...

Jai slept, snoozing as babies did as Eela awoke suddenly.

The baby girl, started crawling about in her pen, before going towards the door.

She leaned against the glass door, babbling and gurgling while she reached towards the electric lock keeping the pen door closed.

Still leaning, the baby kept reaching for it with her tiny fingers, before using the Force unknowingly, the button flicking and glowing green, the pen opening.

Eela giggled happily, smiling and sucking on her foot, biting on her little toes a little in the walkway, the Kaminoan Nurse Ui fast asleep after the baby fell onto the walkway, tumbling out of her pen when the glass door swung open.

She rolled over onto all fours, crawling towards the glass window.

Eela plopped onto her diaper covered bottom, smiling widely with toothless gums, watching the enormous storm taking place. She jumped up, pressing her palms to the window, looking past her babyish reflection and into Kamino's vast gale with her father's eyes.

As most babies would be, she was fascinated.

She sat there, in total awe, before smiling again and hitting a right fist onto her left hand happily, again and again as she laughed plopping back onto her rear.

Jai woke up slowly, after a particular bolt of lightning struck the air louder than most, and rolled over on to his back, feet writhing in the air.

He eventually got on all fours and crawled out of his pen, gurgling and cooing as he saw the shiny black button on Nurse Ui's shoe.

The baby crawled out of his pen while his twin sister sat in awe of the storm, the infant gnawing on the shiny black button with his toothless gums.

Stirring, the Kaminoan nurse felt something lay on her foot.

She became fightened, Ui awakening instantly, gasping deeply in her light Kaminoan voice seeing the two twins out of their pens.

The nurse instantly picked them up and placed them gently on their bottoms, lifting them easily by their small armpits and laying them in their pens, her shoes clicking quickly as she ran to an awed Eela at the windowsill, staring at the storm, pulling her away from looking at it.

Some sweat had been released from her gill like crests at the top of her head, the Nurse sweating profusely in her white robe.

She looked at the two babies.

 _How in Ilias did they leave?_

Ui ran to the security office, before bowing her tall head to the officer there observing.

"Show me footage of the last twenty minutes please." The Nurse asked kindly to the male Kaminoan.

He obliged, touching the blue screen and rolling backwards.

"There." Ui said in her light voice, pointing to the pen of Jai and Eela, "Enhance the footage please." She asked again kindly, in her airy voice all Kaminoans had.

"Did that baby just use the Force?" The white skinned security being asked, focusing on the image with his big black eyes.

"Show that again please."

The male did so, and Eela reached for the lock, the button flicking without her even touching it.

The Nurse turned her head slowly to the security Kaminoan, "Did Pen 3-1 malfunction?"

"No." He said calmly, his black eyes seeing the long list of colors indicating the pen locks on his desk, "None did."

Ui shook her head after gasping again, "A user of the Force. But that must mean."

"Impossible." The male Kaminoan whispered in his white egg chair, "But Lord Ren has ordered all Force adept beings to be turned in to the Empire."

The Nurse instantly pressed her finger to the footage, erasing it by throwing it off the blue screen.

"What are you doing?" The security guard asked while seeing this, "These two are illegal beings. They will cause nothing but trouble for the orphanage."

"I have seen babes grow and blossom for as long as I have started nursing," Ui said in the exact light voice her species used, "These two are not clone troopers. Nor are they enemies to Lord Ren. They cannot comprehend anything. Mother Wei said these two must be ignored for these behaviors. 'It never happened.' She repeated to us, the Nursing staff."

"And when they grow?"

"We shall see then." The Nurse responded calmly, speaking over her white gowned shoulder from her tall neck.

The white electric sliding door closed with a whoosh, and Ui left the security officer there. The male Kaminoan's black eyes focused on the console of locks.

He shook his tall head.

 _If Mother Wei said this never happened. Then this never happened._

The male white skinned being pressed a button on his console, keeping Pen 3-1 on permanent lock.

 _.._

 _.._


	4. Chapter 4: Fate Becomes Fanged

Chapter Four: Fate Becomes Fanged

..

..

After a solid few months of wandering about the galaxy, near the Asteroid Belted Lybeya System, Rey sat in her room thinking, as she always did with the same two arguments conflicting in her head.

 _I guess a squadron couldn't hurt. No. No, they're already safe, Kylo would never suspect them on Kamino._

She rolled around in his chair.

 _Finn was right. Or was he wrong? I just want them safe, nothing else. And they are safe._

A friendly rebel voice spoke on the other side of her door, "General Leia must speak with you."

"Got it!" Rey responded, standing up.

.

Leia sat in the empty war room, a deactivated map of the galaxy below her.

She closed her eyes, sensing when she entered the room, and spinning around to meet her, "Ah. Jedi Rey. Sit down please." The Commander said, offering a seat at the map table.

Rey sat down slowly, and she already knew what she was going to speak to her about but asked anyway, "C-Commander, what is this about?"

The aging woman looked at her, "I know about the twins Rey."

"Who told you?" She snapped.

"You already know who. He foolishly believed I would dispatch scarce troops to protect them. Or go against your wishes...and bring them here on the fleet."

"A-am I expelled from the Rebellion?"

Leia sighed, "A good Commander would have had Poe expelled for his little...insurrection over a year ago. But, we needed, and still need every pilot available. As for you, a good Commander would have you banned from stepping foot on another Resistance cruiser again." She smiled warmly, her wrinkled face rising, "But a good Grandmother listens."

She kept smiling, "I raised Ben, on the pretext that raising him close to me would guarantee a good son." She scoffed, looking aside, "I can see how mistaken I was. You on the other hand," Leia explained, resting her old hands on her cane, "Are a lot wiser for your age. You kept them away from the war, and you kept them in a place where Ben would never suspect them. Wherever that is. And you let them choose their own paths."

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed with her croaky voice, pounding her cane on the ground, "You're twice the mother I ever was."

"C-Commander I-"

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you." Rey said with a voice of relief.

"I only need one guarantee. That you never go behind my back, or behind the Resistance's back, and meet with anyone from the Empire again. Especially my son."

"Y-Yes Commander."

"I don't have much time left here." She mumbled, looking at the deactivated map, "I always thought that old furbag, Chewie, would die before me. But, Wookiees live longer than humans. Had I been a few ages younger, I'd have expelled you, and brought those children aboard the Tiberius to make sure Ben didn't take them. But, I want to go out on a clean conscience."

Seeing Rey's expression, Leia nodded calmly, "Yes. I know I'm dying. Its better to accept it than to not. Now go, and toss that man off the ship if you want to."

The Jedi turned around, leaving. As she did so, the door sliding close behind her, Leia fell to the floor, sliding out of her chair.

..

Rey ran up to Poe, Rose and Finn speaking, before raising him with a Force grasp on his chest, "You...dog!" She shouted, making sure other rebels weren't about, whipping her head around.

"Rey calm down!" Rose yelled, talking to her from her side.

"You put my children's lives in danger!"

"I only told...Leia..." He gasped out, reaching for his neck with an orange Rebel glove, while kicking in the air.

"What if she told someone? And expelled me? What if right now, there was a Dreadnought flying over that orphanage blasting them both to pieces right now? What if word had gotten out?"

She moved her hand, indicating she could activate a button to the airlock, "Never. Put my children's lives in danger again."

"I...only wanted... to protect them..." He gasped, still kicking in the air, being raised with the Force.

Rey dropped him with a clatter, marching off angrily.

The deserted storm trooper laid on his side on the ground, before looking up to Poe and his own girlfriend Rose, "Remind me to never get on her bad side again."

"Agreed." They both said quickly, seeing her leave.

...

The Jedi stood at a window, watching the galaxy swirl from the large Corvette Tiberius.

Finn stood next to her looking at her, slinking up to Rey's side slowly.

No one said anything, before Rey looked downwards at her boots, "Sorry about hurting you."

"Nah, its all right." He said with a wave of the hand, "I was only scared for my life. And I had it coming."

"Why do you want to protect them? They're not your children."

"The Commander's dying. The entire galaxy has been occupied. We don't have enough strength to show ourselves or take a base on a planet. Seems like they're the only chance we have."

"But they're babies. They can't even walk and you're placing the weight of...everything on their shoulders." She said, turning her head to them.

"Rey. I understand what you're going through. But it's only a matter of time before she passes, and then what do we have?"

"Hope."

"Right. That those kids will grow up and one day find us somehow. Years of sitting around waiting. This is ridiculous." He said shaking his head before whipping it to her, "If Ren finds them and kills them. Or worse, takes them as his own, we're doomed. Everything is doomed."

"Don't. Remind me." She said, tightening her fists and making the metal guardrail before the window tweak a little without touching it, "Don't remind me of the danger they're in. But know this. If they were here on this ship, in this fleet. They'd be in worse danger, we've been floating about doing nothing, waiting for time to pass. Waiting for him to find us. Its worse."

"You say that but-"

"They're my children Finn. I can do what I please with them."

At that moment, a helmeted Resistance fighter appeared, sweat on his brow from running, the man panting as well, showing her he had run all the way across the hull of the ship.

Rey and Finn looked at him.

No words were spoken, the man just nodded, before the three of them turned around and broke into a sprint.

..

..

On Kamino, the twins began teething, the worst pains imaginable growing in their months old mouths.

They threw their heads back, wailing loudly, faces scrounged up in red discomfort.

Nurses tried to administer serums to calm their pain, but the glass needles shattered in their white hands.

Their cries filled the orphanage, becoming so powerful glass wavered, and shattered, the storm blowing into the orphanage.

Their wailing grew in intensity, the lack of serums just made them cry louder and louder, making Nurses clamp hands over their tiny holes in their heads acting as ears, walking off only to find more serums shattered from the Force reverberating from the twins cries.

..

Leia laid on her death bed, the Jedi pushing past the massive crowd of Rebels around her in a huge mass, in her brown Masters robe.

The blue updated P-13 medical droid explained in its male robotic and calm voice, "Her bio energy has deteriorated greatly. As if she was holding onto one last bit of strength."

She knelt, feeling her cold and wrinkled hand. Rey jumped up, speaking to the droid, "There has to be a surgery, or a treatment or procedure or something!"

The droid shook his light blue head, "I'm sorry. She's simply at that tall of an age. It happens all beings, even the best of them."

"R-Rey." The woman croaked out, "Listen to me."

"Yes?" She asked, tearing up quickly before turning her head to her.

She beckoned her forwards with a frail old finger, before whispering in her ear.

"Are they beautiful?"

"Yes." The Jedi said, nodding with tears in her eyes, clutching her weak hand, "Yes, they are."

"Good." She whispered back, reaching for a wooden square pendant around her neck, "After the war." Leia explained, frail voice shaking and croaking, "I went to my mothers tomb on Coruscant. Oh!" She gasped happily, "How beautiful she looked. I found this on her corpse, I never knew what it meant, only that it was special to her. Take it."

Rey gently lifted the leather chain, and picked up the necklace off the dying woman's neck sobbing, "Don't leave us Commander. D-Don't leave us."

"Sorry. As the droid said, it happens to all beings."

"We-we need you." She begged, Rose sobbing into Finn's chest behind her, Poe looking down sadly.

"Make sure you give them my necklace, when the time's right." The Commander whispered, nodding. She paused, smiling before croaking out, "I Leia Organa, General of all Allied Resistance Forces, pass command of the entire Rebellion to you, the Jedi Master Rey."

"N-no!" Rey exasperated, crying, while laying her head on her stomach.

"That's it. That's all." She said still smiling, "There's a little inscription I added on the back of the wooden pendant. Read it. Don't. Forget. It..." The Princess of Alderaan added, turning her head slightly to the side, a smile still frozen on her face, eyes closed.

The Jedi hugged her tightly, sobbing into her weathered shoulder, crying onto it, the wooden pendant hanging from the leather wrapped around Rey's fist.

She kept crying, gasping and sobbing into her shoulder, sniffling, she kept crying as the entire Resistance bowed their heads.

Her body then de-materialized, as Rey's head fell onto her own hand, which was grasping the now vanished shoulder blade of Leia Organa.

...

...

The wailing of the twins increased, glass shattering everywhere, the entire orphanage seemed to be in uproar. The Force amplified their cries of pain, Nurses trying to help them after finding plastic bottles of serum and feeding it to them.

As they calmed, Rey stood at the docking bay of Tiberius, before it opened, letting her white gown, passed down to her from the long passed Mon Mothma, flow into space.

The Jedi collapsed onto her knees, still holding the wooden pendant next to her heart. As she sobbed, the entire Resistance watched the white gown flow off infinitely, wondering where it would end up.

Rey looked at the pendant with tears in her eyes, the leather string acting as a chain as old as the necklace itself.

She had never noticed Leia wearing it for all those years, wondering why the General had chosen her last moments to give it to her. Turning it over, tears falling into her palm, she read the simple word carved onto it.

 **Hope.**

...

...

* * *

 _Author's Note: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa fellow Star Wars Fans. May the Force be with you all!_

.

.


	5. Chapter 5: Blast to the Past

Chapter Five: Blast to the Past

..

..

"Jai! Jai!" Eela shouted, pounding her eight year old fist onto her brother's metal door, "Teacher Li said you'll get in trouble if you show up late for class again!"

"Ergh." The boy groaned into his pillow.

The girl crossed her arms, leaning on the door way after the metal rectangle swished aside, "Teacher Li wasn't kidding."

"Teacher Li's an old fool, he still believes in Ilias." Jai mumbled into his pillow.

All perfectly dressed in her light brown Kaminoan orphan uniform, Eela shook her head, looking aside before chortling, "Jai..." She said, looking at him.

"What?" He asked into his pillow again.

"Today's the field trip to Coruscant..."

He gasped, his eyes flying open before he shot up out of his bed, "Today's the field trip to Coruscant?" He asked, speaking exactly like his sister did, in their mother's accent.

"It is. Get dressed." She ordered, before walking off towards class.

Never before had Jai prepared so quickly for class. He looked into the mirror above his white desk, seeing his horribly messy hair. It was spiky, and also jet black colored, like his sisters. What was strange that hers was naturally spiky too, but Eela had to use a special serum to make it straight.

Fixing his hair, his father's brown-ish orange eyes locked on its black color, he made it slightly neater before getting dressed.

..

..

Teacher Li, an aged male Kaminoan, watched as Jai walked into his classroom. Every other orphan, a large mix of young humans, Rodians, Twi'leks, and other humanoids of many species, sat in white desks in perfect rows, Eela was sitting in the very front, next to Jai's empty seat.

The teacher looked at the boy in the doorway, "Ah. Jai. It is so nice to actually see you on time for class." Li said, as the class snickered.

"Thank you Teacher." The boy said lightly, before sitting down next to his twin sister.

Li stood at his podium, the class listening, "Now. Which of you can tell me of the Culture of Mandalore?"

Eela and her blue skinned Twi'lek friend Arana raised their hands, the class so accustomed to this they just rolled their multi-colored eyes.

"Yes?"

The straight black haired girl cleared her throat, before speaking as eloquently as her mother did, "The People of Mandalore are very bloodthirsty and vicious people. They follow strength above everything else. Their planet of Mandalore, breeds the galaxies best warriors and mercenaries."

"Very, very good Eela." The white skinned being said, "Jai." He said, waking the boy up from his sudden day dream, "What would you admire about the people of Mandalore?"

"Wh-what?" He asked, sounding like a male version of his sister, "O-oh. What isn't there to love about the People of Mandalore? They spawned the greatest bounty hunter of all time Boba Fett. His father, Jango, became the genetic base for the clone army, still in use today."

Jai shrugged as the teacher nodded agreeing, "I mean, the greatest contribution Mandalore ever had to offer can be seen millions of times, in each and every clone soldier."

"Hm. So what would you say is a Mandalorians greatest virtue?" Li asked, blinking, his white eyelids quickly uncovering and covering his big black eyes.

"His strength Teacher, what else?" The spiky jet black haired boy said simply from his desk, "They're like beasts of people. They're the epitome of warriors. Nothing more than that."

Teacher Li picked up his data pad, still speaking from his podium, "That's true Jai. Of course, the lineage of the people of Mandalore can be traced..."

His light Kaminoan voice seemed to waft out of Jai's young mind, Eela listening attentively as he flipped through the same green colored pad all students had at their desk to learn. But when he paused, the boy kept staring at the same picture.

It was of the the first Mandalore. The first King of the Mandalorian people. He had a mask made of bone on his face, a huge spear with a wicked blade atop it, his toned chest covered in red and black warpaint.

Behind him were hundreds of howling Mandalorians, screaming for glory in battle.

Jai couldn't stop staring at it.

"Jai, Jai!" Li repeated, making the boy snap out of his day dream, the class snickering at him again.

"Oh! Sorry Teacher." He apologized, sounding like his mother, as him and Eela always did.

The aging Kaminoan sighed, flipping through his teaching pad on his podium, his notes changing pages and his lecture continuing, "By Ilias boy, you have an amount of attention a hungry Wookiee would."

Jai stared at his pad, moving to the right page on the lecture before blinking at it, becoming bored.

 _I can't wait to go to Coruscant today. But first, we have that swimming competition._

..

..

Eela, sharp eyed, noticed these tiny racks in a small room before entering the swimming pool, most likely it held trooper helmets, as Clones used to train their muscles here probably, she assumed.

Ui, directing all athletic activities as Nurses were ordered to do so, spoke in her soft voice, "All right children, we have this year's fastest swimmers competing, the twins, Jai and Eela."

As all the other orphans sat on their white plastic benches, cheering, Jai stretched, reaching for his toes.

His sister smirked at him, stretching her arm as they both stood in swimsuits, "Hah! I'll beat you in here as I do in the class room."

"Shut up Eela." Jai muttered, grimacing a little before turning towards the rectangular swimming pool built into the orphanage inside the Kaminoan shelter.

"Ready?..." The Nurse asked in her light voice, the twins leaning forwards before launching into it, "Go!"

The twins flew into the pool, before the other orphans cheered from their stands, "Jai! Jai! Jai!"

The spiky black haired boy swam with all he had, slowly pulling ahead.

Eela saw this and kept freestyling as fast as she could, trying to catch up.

As the cheering of the orphans increased in intensity, so did the enormous splashing erupting from the pool, the twins already half way across it.

When he reached the edge of the pool, he cheered, throwing a pool water covered fist into the air.

The other orphans were yelling at him, pointing towards something behind Jai's shoulder.

His sister was still swimming, he had to make it there and back.

The boy grunted, launching off the side of the old swimming pool with all he had, putting everything into it as he tried to catch up.

Cheering grew, splashes intensified, the male twin catching up to his other counterpart.

Somehow, through sheer will, Jai had caught up from the other side of the pool, neck and neck with her.

Eela was taken completely by surprise, and watched as Jai flew ahead of her, before he pressed his hands to the white cement of the pool's edge, and pushed himself out of it, winning.

The orphans jumped out of their seats, cheering, and shouting his name, "Jai! Jai! Jai!"

Eela crossed her arms and pouted, watching as her brother reveled in the glory of winning.

..

..

The twins packed their tiny yellow bags, Eela half as excited as Jai was.

He leaned on the door way of her bunk, teasing her, "Nurse Ui will be mad at you if you show up late to the Starspeeder."

She gritted her teeth, crossing her arms and walking up to him. It was almost as if there was a mirror across the two, an incredibly similar reflection of each other being made but not exact, one side male and spiky haired, the other female and straight haired. Their father's tiger like brown eyes glancing off each other proudly.

"Why do you want to go to Coruscant so badly?

"Is that even a question Eela?" He asked, seeing her turn around and continue to pack her bag, explaining, "We're actually leaving the orphanage for the first time in our lives." Jai said with a hand, as the daily rain pounded.

Eela snapped her head to her brother, "There is nothing in the galaxy but war! Resistance fighters carry out raids on a weekly basis, systems are under martial law!"

"Yeah! At least that's better than being stuck in this orphanage." Jai said calmly, "And Coruscant is an Imperial Stronghold, we'll be perfectly safe." He said with a slight hand wave, "And what do you know about the galaxy?"

"I listen to the Imperial Broadcast every day!" She said, pointing to the blue radio on her desk, "A man sits there running down a list of units that with casualties, listen." Eela murmured, reaching out and activating it.

A man's voice on the other line was speaking, "Dantooine- Platoons 34. 35. And 27. Tatooine. Platoons 129. 128. 107."

Eela shut it off instantly, "That's only the Outer Rim territories."

The boy rolled his eyes, "So what if everything's at war? That's no reason to not get excited, we're finally leaving this wretched storm filled planet!"

His sister finished getting ready, slinging her yellow pack over her shoulders like Jai did. She walked right past him, going through the white hallways of Kamino's shelters towards the landing platform.

..

Ui, the fair skinned nurse, ushered orphans into the orange Starspeeder 1000 rain showering in from the daily storm, "All right children." She mumbled entering through the door into it, the sliding door shutting close behind her, air escaping before she said lightly, "Buckle up!"

The pilot, an new orange colored FA-7 droid, pushed a few buttons on his console as the orphans threw black leather lines over their chests, buckling in. Ui passing by the orphans and making sure they were all safely tied into the ship.

Jai was smiling in his seat, beyond excited as Eela just leaned on her hands bored.

The pilot droid raised the handles of his lever with his metallic fingers, raising the ship towards the stormy sky.

As rain pattered on the metal roof of the star cruiser, Jai continued to smile as the ship began to fly towards space.

Pressing the handles forward, the ship accelerated, leaving the endless thunder storm of Kamino's atmosphere, now in the blackness of space. The droid pushed a few more buttons on his console, before jumping into hyperspace, lightspeed causing the stars to blur into white lines.

..

..

To travel from Kamino to Coruscant at lightspeed, the journey would only take a few hours at most, but for Jai, that was too long.

The boy eventually grew bored of jumping up and down in his seat happily, his jet black spiky hair bouncing with him. Before he eventually fell asleep on his twin sister Eela's right shoulder, laying it atop a few clean black locks, the girl asleep as well in her seat on Jai's left side.

..


	6. Chapter 6: A Plaque of Braids

Chapter Six: A Plaque of Braids.

...

...

Jai woke up, wiping a small bit of drool from the side of his mouth before cringing slightly while thinking.

 _Did I just sleep on my sister's shoulder? Ew..._

He turned his head around, making sure none of the other orphans saw.

The boy smiled and breathed out quickly in relief, they were all asleep.

Pushing and flicking a few buttons on his console, the pilot droid pulled the Starspeeder out of hyperspace, the orange ship stopping right outside the planet's atmosphere.

Jai jumped up out of his seat, his light brown orphan robe exactly the same as everyone's. The boy gasped, before waking everyone up, "Look! Coruscant!"

After all the orphans woke up, they pressed their young faces of different species to the glass, all gasping, "Its like a huge planet made out of a city..." One Duros orphan said.

A blue skinned Twi'lek added on this, "Or a huge city made out of a planet."

The only ones not interested at all in this were Eela, promptly having a small conversation with her friend Arana. The two were human and Twi'lek, but had fluid conversations nonetheless.

Jai was absolutely blown away, drooling as he stared into the city.

For an orphan who'd never seen anything more than the white halls of Kamino, the boy looked around from his window, seeing entire lanes of air traffic fly in lines across the sky.

When it lowered into a small space next to other starships, the orphans walked out of the Starspeeder 1000 gasping.

The spiky black haired boy looked upwards, spinning around in a circle.

The colors. After seeing nothing but white his whole life, the multi colored skyline of the infinite city that was Coruscant shown on his young face.

At only eight years, he was in love. Not with the city, but with being away from that orphanage, with adventure. As the colors shown on his mesmerized face, all the orphans knelt.

He dropped to the floor, along with his sister, the other orphans and the white gown wearing Nurse Ui.

As he walked across the street, all knelt, all soldiers saluted.

His sweeping gaze, black hair, long black cape all of it.

It all commanded one thing: fear.

Jai and Eela kept kneeling, looking downwards as they were about to leave the lot holding all the starships and came close to entering the street.

His majesty, Emperor Kylo Ren, face slightly older from eight years as King, stopped, his guards pausing their stride across the street with him.

He turned his head, sensing it.

The Emperor started walking towards the group of orphans.

Still kneeling and looking downwards, the orphaned twins heard a deep voice resonate, "Rise Kaminoan."

Ui rose slowly, the Nurse not afraid in the slightest.

The man raised a black gloved right hand, and lifted the necklace with the Force, raising it off her tall white neck and towards himself.

Black and shiny, the necklace was being levitated in the air, twisting it about in the air to observe it, Kylo tilted his head to observe it, "What is this?"

"It's a figurine of my God, Ilias my lord."

"Ilias? I've heard of him. He is a Sea God correct? Who is the supposed biological father of all Kaminoans?"

Ui nodded, bowing her tall head, "Yes it is my lord."

"I understand the other cultures of the galaxy." The Emperor muttered, "But know this. There is one entity greater than every god. And that is the Empire that I have created. Know that citizen, and don't forget it." He ordered, willing the necklace back towards the Nurse, who clasped her beloved necklace in her hands.

He turned around, his black cape whipping, before leaving with his guards.

Jai and Eela both saw nothing of his face, only hearing his voice and seeing his back coated by red armored men.

..

The Emperor watched as his Generals all stood arguing, becoming silent and kneeling upon the appearance of their long black haired ruler.

Kylo nodded and the war room rose.

"General Mylon?" He asked, "Your assessment?"

The blonde man cleared his throat, "As has been happening for the past eight years, the Rebel fleet has ended its campaign of floating about like a myth. It is now fully active, destroying supply depots and other important sectors across your Empire my lord."

"We have no idea what to do Your Majesty!" An older General asked, his younger counterparts nodding in agreement, "We can't locate the mobile Rebellion, we can't isolate a refined place of resistance, its spread out across the galaxy!" He muttered, his white beard separating him heavily from the other clean shaven black uniformed commanders.

"That is not the only bit of bad news my lord." Another blonde General said, rising from his black chair, "It appears Armitage Hux has not taken his dismissal lightly, he spent the last few years undermining your military structure. A part of our forces have defected to him."

"How large?"

"About a tenth my lord." He answered.

The Emperor breathed in deeply, incredibly angry, making the black material of his gloves crack.

 _I'm now fighting a three way war. Perfect. Absolutely perfect._

"What are we to do my lord?" General Mylon asked, his subordinates clueless as well.

"Is this even...a question?" He asked, turning his head to the Generals, making them all sink back in their seats with his calmly furious voice, "You will find Hux's fleet. Find the Rebellion's fleet. And infiltrate them, locate them, and destroy them. As for the rebels strewn across the galaxy, occupy the capitals of systems where resistance is strongest. Find. Infiltrate. Destroy. This is a simple task Generals. Execute it." He emphasized.

"Yes my lord." They all said, bowing their black capped heads instantly.

Leaving, Kylo Ren felt his anger release. Knowing it would only be a matter of time before those very specific orders would be followed.

He was also confused, Mylon was a very capable commander, why was he so clueless? The rest of the War Cabinet were complete doddering buffoons, but not Wiras Mylon.

Was he...disloyal?

The Emperor shook his black haired head at this.

No. He had been perfectly loyal these past few years.

He squinted, his brown eyes concentrating as he walked through the Imperial Command's compound, making two passing Officers fall to their knees while doing so.

 _Maybe I should do something to ensure that loyalty. To make sure my commanders stay in line._

 _.._

 _.._

The gaggle of orphans watching all grew widemouthed at the huge gold statues of Jedi Heroes. Gasping, Jai watched as they stood tall, holding staffs and books.

Nurse Ui led her children up the steps to the partly remodeled Jedi Temple, only for there to be a black capped Officer there with two Stormtroopers behind him acting as bodyguards.

"I'll take it from here madam." The Officer said nodding, "My name is Officer Tirak."

"Hello Officer Tirak!" The orphans said together happily, Jai speaking the loudest.

"Now if you'll come along with me. I'll take you on your tour of the Temple." The young man said, leading the way.

The orphans followed him, as they entered a red carpeted entrance hall, tall stone pillars holding up the ceiling, "After the fall of the first Galactic Empire, the Republic ordered reconstruction of the Temple to allocate space for a new Jedi order. Obviously, Emperor Ren made the intelligent decision and murdered it in its crib."

Tirak raised a hand, as the orphans gazed upon the beautiful temple in awe, "As you can clearly see, the entire Temple has been properly reconstructed." He announced to the children, as a groups of multiple beings walked across the hall, observing its beauty.

"Now, which Senate Member ordered the reconstruction?"

Eela raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Councilman Arlok."

"Indeed she did." The Officer noted, turning around and letting the orphans follow him.

Tirak's voice floated out of Jai's mind, the boy sneaking off to go explore the temple for himself as the Officer kept speaking, "Many years ago, so long ago the Jedi still protected the galaxy, the Galaxies first redeemer, Anakin Skywalker walked up those very steps out there with seventy battalions of troopers, and..."

He extended his palm outwards, painting a picture of the scene with his words, "Rightfully purged the Galaxy of its filth."

Tirak kept speaking, "Every Jedi was rightfully ended, as the newly dubbed, Darth Vader purged Coruscant free of its greatest failure, the Jedi Order. Clones wiped everything free as well."

Jai walked into a dark and closed room, pushing through a small gap the locked door offered with his small body covered by orphans robes, finding a small monument that had been created to serve an old purpose.

Remembrance.

There were red comforts acting as old chairs, still blasted and ruined from decades before.

He gasped. Seeing plaques of braids.

Before them was a small black inscription, which Jai slowly read aloud, "This is where the children of the galaxy were redeemed. This is where they were killed by Vader. These are their braids."

He looked up, seeing rows and rows of braids of multiple colored hair pinned up on plaques. He had no idea why they were closed off from the rest of the Temple, but it was possible Lord Ren had closed off the monument to all visitors.

Jai understood. At such a young age, boys and girls of his age endured trauma, for only a fleeting moment.

He turned around, as Tirak kept speaking, "They were all weak. The galaxies second redeemer, his Imperial Majesty, Lord Kylo Ren did a similar thing, and ended the second rise of the Jedi Order. And now, all those who wish to oppose him shall meet the same fate." The young man said to the crowd of orphans, before turning around and letting them follow him carefully.

They kept following him, until the officer offered a hand to the room.

Instead of there being red comfort chairs there were now statues of Sith legends, "The true users of the Force." Tirak shook his head after beholding them, "But they were still Force users. Not worthy to serve Lord Ren. Not worthy to be in his Empire, same as Jedi."

Eela walked past her friend Arana and gazed upon the shrieking face of the silver statue, and the brown haired officer kept speaking, "Lord Ren has ordered that this Temple serve as a reminder to all that the days of the force, Jedi, and Sith, are to be things of the past under his reign."

Jai ran through the Temple, crying over what he witnessed, arm over his tearing eyes, as Tirak kept speaking lifelessly, "All beings are to be equals under his reign. But the weak, are to be weak. You all must know this. Do not try and rise up like the Jedi did." He offered a hand to a small red chair in the corner of the room, blasted apart from blue blaster bolts from many years before, "Or you shall meet the same fate."

Eela felt her fist tighten.

 _The Jedi stood for order and reconstruction. This is wrong!_

"But what about the holding of the Jedi archives? The holding of all knowledge in the galaxy, the Jedi library was kept here, maintained by Knights!" The long straight black haired girl sparked up.

Tirak turned his head to her, from offering a hand to the blasted chair, "What's your name citizen?"

"Eela."

"Well, Eela." The Officer said kneeling to her and speaking, his calm face meeting her young one, "The Jedi are not the saints you have dreamed about little girl. For years, they warred with the Sith over control of the galaxy. They killed just as much. This is not a tale, it is fact."

He stood up, Tirak still speaking, "You can find temples, just like this one. Sith and Jedi alike, across the Empire. They both are reminders to us all of the past. That it is a bloody one. We must stop believing in Force users and believe in our Empire."

"Lord Ren is force user." Eela muttered crossing her arms in her light brown orphan robe, making the other orphans gasp in surprise at her boldness.

"Yes little girl, he is. But when you become an Emperor like he is, you can be allowed to have that privilege. As for all citizens, including you. Eela." The man grumbled, "You may not have that privilege. The Force is a thing of the past, none may use it."

A spiky black haired little boy ran to Nurse Ui's skirt, hugging her tightly.

"Jai!" Ui exclaimed, "Where were you?"

The boy said nothing, crying sadly into her waist, tears reaming from his brown eyes.

..

..


	7. Chapter 7: A Storm of Dreams

Chapter Seven: A Storm of Dreams.

..

..

Back on the Starspeeder, Jai was sitting by himself, watching hyperspace flow by as the ship flew back towards Kamino.

Eela approached him with her head tilted, "Jai? A-are you all right?"

He said nothing, still staring off into the swirling blue abyss of hyperspace, his brown eyes empty.

"Jai? What did you see? You haven't said anything since the temple."

"It doesn't matter Eela."

"Why?"

He kept staring off into the abyss, muttering, "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

"What? What is it?" She pleaded, taking the seat in front of him.

"I saw a plaque." Jai said simply.

"A-a plaque?"

"A plaque." He repeated.

"And what was on this particular plaque?"

"The braids. Of..."

"Of what?"

The boy shook his head, looking off again, before speaking looking away from her, "The stories of Vader. And the children he murdered. They're all true."

Eela sat next to him, taking the small spot given on the window sill in the Starspeeder.

She laid her long jet black haired head on his shoulder, whispering, "So it's true?"

Jai said nothing, still looking off. Even at eight years old, he had enough wisdom to know lying to his sister was wrong, "Yes."

They both said nothing, before the female twin fell asleep on his shoulder, Jai still staring off into hyperspace silently.

..

..

Syl ran around the Tiberius with her little brothers and sisters, giggling as rebels walked past them, dropping boxes of supplies in surprise.

"Hey!" The men exclaimed, turning around.

"Sorry!" Syl said, turning her head backwards to speak to them, as her younger siblings chased her.

"Sylvian Tico!" A voice rumbled, her little brothers stopping in their tracks before turning around slowly.

A Finn in his late twenties grumbled, "Don't run around the ship!" He said with widening eyes, poking his head out of his shared bunk with his wife.

"Yes Pa." She said nodding, along with her younger siblings, their blackish brown haired heads bouncing.

The second Finn sighed and went back inside his room, the children sprinted off laughing, faster this time.

Syl stopped, seeing Rey sit in the old war room, looking at the stars from her seat by the window.

Her younger siblings kept running, but the girl with a similar but somehow prettier face of her mother walked up to her, "General...what's wrong?"

"Er...nothing's wrong Sylvian!" The young woman said, turning towards her with a smile, "Why do you ask?"

The girl swirled a little on this spot, smiling and swishing her skirt, "Mommy said you told her you were kissing the Emperor." Syl said holding her hands together.

"Rose!" Rey cursed under her breath looking aside, she turned smiling towards her, "You are seven years old now, don't believe everything your mother tells you."

"Yes auntie." Syl said smiling and running off.

The commander stood up, walking towards their bunk to have a little chat with her Captain.

"Captain Tico!" She said, tapping the metal door with a fist.

Rose opened it, the door sliding, "Yes?"

"Did you-." The dark brown haired Jedi rolled her eyes, "Can I come in?"

"Of course." The other woman said, letting her walk in.

Rey leaned on the white door that just closed behind her, "Did you tell Sylvian about Ren and I?"

Rose scoffed, "What? No!"

She crossed her arms, "You know the Force tells me if you're lying or not."

"No it doesn't." Rose's husband Finn Tico noted, "She just says that to get people scared."

"Do you use the Force?" The commander asked, extending her head forward.

"Well...not particularly." He drawled, sitting on his bed next to Rose.

"You cannot! Tell the tiniest speck of dust about that. You know that Captain!"

Rose nodded, "I promise."

The woman gripped her husband's hand, before asking, "Uh...commander. I always wanted to ask you. What happened to conversations you had with the Emperor?"

Rey looked downwards, "About our connection. It...died. We haven't spoken in years. I don't know if I don't want to talk to him, or if he doesn't, or even if the Force lets us anymore." She shook her head, "Like I always say, most beings don't understand the Force."

"You preach that way too often..." Finn murmured under his breath, looking aside.

Rey gripped the doorway, "Oh, and one more thing. Your children aren't listening to you, they're still running around the ship."

Finn and Rose looked at each other, before the man stood up hollering for his oldest child, "Syyylll!"

..

..

Lord Kylo Ren sat in his Imperial Palace. A black fortress he had built after appearing to wipe out all semblance of resistance years before.

Now his Head General, Wiras Mylon, and his daughter with long hair, which had the same color of sandy blonde as her father.

The two knelt, Mylon holding his daughter's hand.

Iana rose slowly and met the Emperor's strikingly frightening gaze, the girl gulping.

"I invited you over because I wanted to ensure your loyalty General." The man said, turning his gaze from the girl to her father.

Mylon bowed, "I am eternally bound to serve you my lord."

"I know." Kylo said blinking calmly, "I just want to ensure your loyalty totally." He knelt to the small child half his height, "What is your name girl?"

"I-Iana Your Majesty." The daughter of the General muttered.

"Well Iana. How would you like to be a Princess?"

"A princess, m-my lord?" Mylon stuttered out.

"That's right." The black haired man said nodding, "When your daughter comes of age she'll inherit my throne when I die. I will name her my heir. When, and only when I decide you've been loyal enough to me." Kylo stood up, "You and your household will live here in the palace. Iana will be the Empire's Princess. She will be named Iana Ren when I please. In the meantime, you will remain loyal to me."

"Y-yes my lord." Mylon said.

He looked to Iana, "I will ensure your safety. I will make sure you are happy, and I will make sure you inherit my Empire."

"B-But she's only nine years old my lord." The General stuttered, "You can't put this kind of responsibility on her, she's my daughter."

"And why not? I'm the Emperor, I'm ensuring your loyalty. You and your household will be rewarded for this loyalty, when the time comes."

"Yay!" Iana cried, jumping up happily, "I'm a princess! I'm a princess! I'm a princess!" She said bouncing up and down clapping her hands, running off.

Kylo approached him, "Do you think that little farce you played in the war room earlier today fooled me? No. You're going to remain loyal, and don't play the role of a sheep. It angers me."

"Y-yes my lord." He said bowing, leaving and walking after being dismissed.

..

..

At the orphanage, Eela sat next to the glass window sill, imagining what Jai had said to her.

 _"Yes."_

That single word reverberated through her mind, making the girl shiver.

Jai looked at her smiling lightly, "I know you're thinking right now."

"Wh-why?"

"You always look out at Kamino's storm when you think." He said glancing towards what lay beyond the window.

He sat across from his sister, the twins staring into the endless storm, raging, turning, slamming its tears against the glass.

Eela frowned, a blank expression on her face as she spoke with the same accent as her mother, same as always, "I read about Ilias. He created the people of Kamino after himself, to be a model society built on logic, exploration and sea travel. I feel bad for you Jai, and I get why you cried into Nurse Ui's hip."

The twins kept sitting across from each other on the windowsill, their exact brown eyes looking past their reflections and into the storm.

"You had a dream that the Galaxy was this big happy place. Where nothing ever happened. And you came across reality. And you cried, as would I if I were that foolish."

She shook her long straight black haired head, "But the Galaxy, or everything, isn't a happy place Jai. Its like a storm. Raging. Powerful, and strong. And our dreams are like the waves, pounding, fierce, rising...falling."

The male twin stuttered out, "H-h-how do you know all this Eela? You're only my age."

The girl blinked, closing her brown eyes before opening them again onto the storm as calm as her father, "I get up every day and I turn on the Imperial Broadcast. All I hear are the names of units that became casualties in battle. You stare at pictures and illustrations of the Mandalore, a warrior, an idol to you."

He gasped, but Eela nodded, "I saw you. I saw you doing that in class. How do you think I felt, seeing my only family that I have, stare off into a picture of a savage, someone- no. Something revered as a god of blood and the king of an animalistic planet? And dream of becoming that?"

She shook her head, "Nurse Ui always wanted to be a singer. Teacher Li wanted to design star cruisers. I'm hoping your dream of becoming a savage monster like that thing you stared off into falls too." Eela turned her head into the storm, still speaking in the same light tone as her mother.

"And that it becomes like those rising waves. A dream that rises, churns upwards...and falls. Or becomes a thunderbolt." The girl noted, seeing one crackle in the distance, "Only fleeting. Sudden, driving. And then disappearing."

"This wisdom is cruel." Jai sniffled, tears in his sad brown eyes, "How could you say all this Eela? You weren't like this before we went to Coruscant..."

"Because it's logical." She said blinking again, reaching outwards and cupping his tear struck cheek, "I love you. And I don't want you to pursue something that's wrong. So if you keep dreaming of this Mandalore, this monster. You can become it, an animal. Like Vader."

He stood up sniffling, leaving the white windowsill, "So you'd rather I become like you? Shut in your room all day doing nothing, ignoring an entire Galaxy to explore?"

"Yes. Because its safe." Eela stood up too, comforting her brother by placing her hands on his shoulders and looking at him, "Jai. We were put in this orphanage for a reason. Whoever it is that are our parents, want us safe. They didn't want us in a Galaxy full of war so they hid us here. Its only logical, why else would they give us up?"

"M-m-maybe they were too poor, or didn't care about us."

Eela pulled him in and hugged him, whispering as he cried, "But I care. Don't dream about those things." She hugged him tightly, "Let that dream fall. Stay with me Jai. Don't leave me. Don't become one of those braids. Don't leave, stay with me."

The boy said nothing, crying into her right shoulder next to which long black locks existed, the twins hugging while standing in front of the storm, window sill at their side.

..

..


	8. Chapter 8: Sun Day

Chapter Eight: Sun Day.

..

..

"It just isn't fair!" The teen shouted, crossing his arms while looking at the colony mother sit at her desk, "Every orphan here knows who their parents are! Why can't I?"

"Because you're special." Wei answered lightly.

"Ergh!" Jai exclaimed, "This is ridiculous..."

Ana Wei stood up, opening her white desk with oval shaped drawers, a tiny package being drawn, "This was delivered here a few years ago. And as you are turning sixteen today, it must be opened."

The spiky black haired teen sprinted to the box, snatching it out of her thin white hands.

He then ran to his room, his legs moving quickly as he dashed through the glossy white halls of the orphanage, his new dark brown orphans robes being worn.

Jai pressed the button next to his door, the sliding slab of metal swished aside and he dropped the small package onto his bed with blue sheets. Breathing in quickly, he pressed his interlocked hands to his mouth, thinking.

 _Okay. Okay Jai you can do this. The only trace of your parents are right here in this box. Just open it. Just open it._

 _Just. Open it._

Gingerly, as if he was deactivating a proton bomb, he opened the small plastic box, the locks flicking open before the boy lifted the cover.

There were only two things inside, a wooden square pendant covered and a single note, which was picked up and read by Jai in seconds.

 **To the Twins.**

 **To which either one of you are reading this, I just want you to know I love you. Both of you, very dearly. Shortly before your grandmother passed away, she wanted this to be in your possession. If you are wondering who I am, or who your father is, you are being denied the privilege of knowing what our identities are for your own safety. We must all make sacrifices for the greater good. Never think I gave you both up because I didn't love you, I did it because I did. This is a dangerous galaxy we live in, so I wanted you to be safe.**

 **Love, Your Mother.**

"Your mother? Your mother?" He repeated reading the letter, "Who are you?"

He lifted the necklace, his fist clenching the weathered and extremely old leather string acting as a chain, seeing the various symbols inscribed on its wood square pendant, and gasped, having an idea.

After sprinting into Eela's room, he spoke quickly, "I need to use your symbol recognizer."

"What? Why?" The girl asked, putting her data pad down, sitting on her bed with white sheets wearing matching dark brown orphans robes.

The letter was passed to her, and the female twin read it smiling, "Talk about a birthday present." She muttered, passing it back to him standing and walking to the symbol observer on her desk, her long jet black ponytail swinging.

She activated the machine, the microscope-esque object whirring as it read the symbols written and being read.

Eela shook her head, looking at the results offered, and squinted into the eye piece, "Interesting... The reader doesn't recognize any of its symbols. Wait." The girl turned over the square wooden pendant on its other side, closing one eye to look into the machine's scope, "There's something written here."

"What does it say?"

"Hope. Strange. That could mean a number of different things." The long and straight black-haired girl mumbled.

"Are you sure the symbol reader's working all right?"

"I fixed it last week. It can't malfunction." Eela rubbed her chin, speaking in the same accent as Jai, the one of their mother, "It's possible, likely even, who ever made the necklace had personal reasons for doing so, and they weren't using specific symbols from a certain culture." She turned around in her white egg chair to her twin brother, "Thus, the reader can't pick up from where in the galaxy it came from or who made it. It simply has no data base to refer it too."

"So, we still have no idea who our mother is?"

"Essentially."

Jai sighed deeply, "Huhh….we finally get word from her, and we still have nothing on her identity."

She observed the letter under the reader too, "The handwriting's intentionally generic as well. Looks like Mum was out to hide who she is. And she has done a perfect job doing so."

"Eela. You're the Queen of Logic and Reasoning, right?"

"You are allowed to say that." The girl said smiling, keeping it hidden as she was still peering deeply into the reader's eyepiece, her back to her brother.

"Why would Mum hide us like this? Why wouldn't she let us know who she is?"

"Well." She started, adjusting the eyepiece, "I'd assume she hid us here to protect us from the horrors of the galaxy. Considering how remote this orphanage is, with the nearest colony two days away by storm speeder, her objective was most likely to ensure we were safe and secluded. From what that may be I have nothing to conclude."

"But…why? Why would she do that?"

"I personally admire her for going to such lengths to protect us. Sometimes the best way to protect yourself isn't with a blaster, it's by letting no one know who you are, or if you even exist."

"Well I don't!" Jai cried, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration, sending them flying over his spiky black haired head, "She's our mother! We should be with her! Regardless of anything!"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with you, but the galaxies been at war for almost twenty years. She is coming from somewhere."

"So you're agreeing with her?"

"Moderately." Eela said blinking, "She's our mother and I shall respect her wishes. So should you Jai. I mean she expressed this all explicitly in her letter, listen Jai, listen." She emphasized, leaning in.

"This is Wookiee splat!" The boys voice bellowed after he had stormed off to his room, gone well beyond the swished close metal door of her room.

..

..

After leaving his room with his spit with Eela, Jai walked to the balcony of the orphanage, completely alone.

It was the planet's Sun Day. Kamino's only day in the entire galactic year where the storm did not persist.

He stepped up on the balconies raised platform, thinking of nothing, staring off into the sun, the wind rustling through his short and spiky jet black hair.

The teenager said nothing, thinking as he wrapped a right fist around his new necklace, closing his eyes and looking downwards.

 _Every year I come here, every year I ask a new question. Who am I? Who are my parents? Where do I belong in this galaxy? Why am I here?_

He looked up, gazing upon the sun shining in the sky, nothing but empty sea as far as the eye could possibly reach could be seen from the balcony.

 _This year I have a new question._

He paused his thoughts.

 _What is my destiny?_

Jai, his hair that sprouted from his head in tight strands, bunches of singular hairs of black in rows, were being tossed by the light wind, appearing to be obsidian colored grass kissed and pushed back and forth by the wind.

The boy kept staring off into the seemingly infinite blue horizon, his eyes stretching so far he could see other colonies miles and miles away, hanging above the finally and uncommonly calm waters.

He didn't think about his sister, or his unknown mother, or even his unknown father.

All he understood was himself currently, and what was unknown to him. His future.

It appeared the boy could stand there eternally, always staring off into the horizon, thinking about his destiny as the waves stayed calm, moving without such usual dreamlike force.

But Jai kept standing there, his right hand wrapped around his new wooden necklace's pendant, gazing upon the horizon with his calm brown eyes.

..

..

* * *

 _Author's Note: All right everyone, have a happy New Year, see y'all in 2018!_


	9. Chapter 9: The Spiral of Destiny

Chapter Nine: The Spiral of Destiny

..

..

Jai sat at his desk, staring at the necklace his mother gave him.

He had no idea it was the same necklace, Anakin Skywalker, the same man who caused him to cry his eyes out when learning of his actions at the tour of the Jedi Tempe years ago, crafted it while still being a slave to Watto.

The boy knew nothing of how he had given it to his love, Padme Amidala. He knew nothing of how the square wooden necklace pendant, was taken from her tomb at the Capital.

The boy also didn't understand that his grandmother had written a word onto it that held everything for the crippled rebellion: Hope.

All he knew was his anger. His frustration and desires. He couldn't stand sitting on a stormy planet, waiting for something to happen. Jai needed to leave.

Sighing, he leaned back in his white egg shaped chair, pushing off the desk with his right boot, reaching for the necklace.

"Whoa! Who-Whoa!" Jai cried, falling backwards, his hand slipping and failing to grab the necklace as he tumbled onto the ground.

Laying on the ground, fallen out of his chair with his back on the ground, he subconsciously willed the necklace to slide off the desk and fall onto his belly, the Force being bent to his desire to have the object.

The boy was staring up at the ceiling, but he felt something strange lay on his dark brown robed stomach.

It was the necklace.

He looked at his stomach, standing up on his elbows.

 _Did. Did I just use the Force?_

He turned around slowly, still laying on the ground.

Eela had seen him, as her room was right next to his.

Standing up quickly, after placing the necklace on his neck again, he ran after her, yelling for his twin sister.

"Eela! Eela!"

He turned her around, knowing she was about to report him to Mother Wei.

"Eela." He said swallowing, pinning her to the white wall of the hallway, hands forced upon her shoulders.

Being extremely similar, they had the same height, but Jai was stronger, much stronger. He spoke to her, keeping her under his grasp, making the girl stuck under his hands, gripping the dark brown material of her robe to ensure she wouldn't leave.

"Were you going to tell Mother Wei?"

"N-no."

"Were you going to tell anyone?"

"No!"

"Well then where were you going Eela?"

"I-it doesn't matter." The obsidian pony tailed girl stuttered out, looking away.

"Look at me. Look at me!" He repeated, moving her chin to face him, "This is no joke."

"I know it's not."

"Eela. If the Empire finds out, I will be brought to the Capital in power cuffs, before being executed by blaster squad. You cannot tell anyone."

"I know." She repeated looking downwards.

"You can have it too you know."

"I know."

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"No."

He looked into her orange-ish brown eyes with his ones of the exact same color, "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I-I...I promise Jai." Eela said, looking down to the square wooden pendant their mother gave them the day before.

"Thank you." He muttered, walking back to his room.

..

..

In the white colored dining hall where all the orphans ate, Jai was picking at his food, thinking about his new ability as his friends talked.

"So I heard the Empire's starting these new aiming programs. Should help with accuracy among storm troopers." Tik, a Rodian mentioned.

"Apparently the old clones were so bad at shooting they needed a complete strip down of its training system." A blue skinned Durosian orphan muttered, holding his fork in the same kind of dining hall clone troopers in training ate in.

"How do you think that will turn out Jai?" Tik asked, "Jai?"

"It doesn't matter." He answered, pushing some of his food around his red tray, "The Empire is nothing but money grubbing bureaucrats more concerned over how to turn us into their droids instead of ruling us. Can't say I blame them, if I was raised in an academy where I learned of nothing but the greatness of the galaxies so called redeemer, I'd want to crush rebel 'scum' too."

"You know you can get in trouble for that right?" The Durosian said with a hand.

"No one cares Mak." Jai said shaking his spiky black haired head, "I want to get off this planet. It's stormy, it's boring, and there's nothing to do in it but walk around white halls contemplating the foretold Great Birther of Kamino, Ilias. Don't you all want something more than that?"

"I just want to invest in some good moisture farms." Mak noted.

Tik rubbed his green chin, "The days of adventurers are over Jai. The Empire killed them all almost a century ago."

"Not if I'm alive." He corrected with a finger, instantly.

"Odds are you'll die if you go down that path." Tik warned.

"Never tell me the odds." Jai responded, still pushing his food about his red plastic tray.

"So you want to go on an adventure. Good. Where will you go?" Mak asked.

"I don't know." The boy mumbled, leaning on crossed arms on the porcelain white table, "Anywhere but here."

"Have you talked to your sister about this?" Tik said titling his green head to the side slightly.

"I already know what she's going to say." Jai groaned, "She wants me to stay on this boring planet."

He stood up, before a dark figure appeared at the doorway, making him sit down slowly.

The glass white rimmed doors slid open, air whisking loudly.

The dark figure entered the dining hall where all the orphans were eating, their young heads all turning to him.

At his shoulder was the colony Mother, Ana Wei, who had aged almost nothing in the past sixteen years, as would most Kaminoans would.

"Children," She said in her light voice, "This is Rou Fett. Grandson of this colonies founder, Jango, the biological father of all clones."

Rou had orange Mandalorian armor, instead of green and blue like his father and grandfather. He had two silver quick draw and fast firing Westar 34 blaster pistols at his hips, and his grandfather's jet pack. Along with a huge bright orange cape.

He stepped forward making an announcement, before speaking in the exact same accent that all clone troopers had, "I'm looking for a ward. Some boy, or girl, with strength and speed. Someone energetic. Anyone who wishes to speak with me on the matter may do so, tonight, at my ship the Slave II. Landing Platform 2A."

Seeing that voice speak, Jai felt chills. That accent, those weapons. The Fett family was tiny, but legendary. This was an opportunity he had to take.

Rou's cape swung as he turned around, the orphans muttering amongst each other after he left.

Jai was absolutely excited, but Eela knew what she had to do.

..

..

She stood at the window sill, watching the storm of dreams again, her familiar sense that she'd always done this because her growing mind desired her to do so flourishing.

Jai walked up slowly behind her, already wearing a quickly packed yellow bag of clothes. The same bag he'd used to go to Coruscant eight years before, now tattered from its age.

He was so done with sitting around doing nothing. He wanted his destiny not to come to him, but for him to go to it. To go to it running. He was impatient, driven, and young, he didn't understand life like Eela, he lived it.

The black haired girl spoke to him, knowing he was there, "Do you know why I stare at the storm from this very window sill Jai?"

"Because it's filled with dreams?" He asked, before she began speaking in those usually wise words of hers.

"Yes." She blinked calmly, "Because it's filled with dreams. I can gaze upon those dreams. And consider..."

"Everything."

"After eight years my mind has grown ever more logical. I've learned of legends. The one of Gahn Iro. The Coreillian rebel whose squad killed over seven hundred Imperial troopers without being caught, all only a week after the battle of Yavin. The one of Jyn Erso. The rebel who's responsible for saving the galaxy, who now almost no one knows."

"I've acquired so much wisdom in such a small amount of time, I wonder if I should even open up the data drives Mother Wei has because I've read them all. I wonder if there is even any wisdom left in the galaxy for me to attain. At only sixteen, I have gained something critical. I understand, that I am too wise, that I cannot control you because I know I cannot."

The girl paused, making her twin hear her sniffle clearly.

"Dreams are a storm. Rising and falling. But destiny is something like a spiral." She said, staring off into the storm, rain pattering against the window in front of her reflection, lightning crackling in the distance, "A downwards spiral. An infinite spiral. Causality, or everything, from the hundreds of things I've learned about, isn't cyclical. It is a spiral, that we all walk infinitely down. Or pause at the top, thinking on it."

"You are a prime example of this. You strive for something emotional, to go beyond the remote safety of our orphanage and strive for something else. No matter how much I will beg you." She began to sob, still speaking eloquently, "N-no matter how much I tell you I love you. No matter how much I explain to you what everything is like, and how it should be, you simply will not listen!"

"I watched you as you stared into the horizon yesterday. That dream that festered in your mind is one I cannot tether away. It is one born from the most basic of needs: curiosity. Impatience. Wonder. I won't go with you. Even if I wanted to. Mum said I must stay, and I will. But you will fight her wishes. And I cannot restrain you, no matter how hard I try. Because I know you Jai, better than anyone. Better than yourself I believe."

"You will walk down the spiral, while I watch you from above, descending down your own fate. I cannot control you Jai. Even if I wish I could."

"Eela, I-" He started, speaking after her words.

"Goodbye." She whispered, crying, her brown eyes streaked with tears, of wisdom caused by sadness. A wisdom caused by an infinite understanding of everything, fueling her next words, "You're not foolish Jai. You're rather intelligent. Only you're driven by the desire to explore. You will never understand anything beyond those basic desires I believe."

"E-Eela." Jai choked out.

He choked up, sobbing before hugging her tightly, as the storm of dreams kept pounding the rain outside, the spiral, awaiting him like a glass ladder below.

Jai wanted to walk down it, but before doing so, he hugged his twin sister tightly, crying into her back, "I-I..."

"I love you."

She said nothing, gripping the arms wrapped around her stomach and looking downwards, crying, "I..."

"I love you too. Jai."

Eela turned around, their tear filled brown eyes meeting her exact copies in her brother's handsome skull.

She pressed her lips to his forehead, right below the rows of seemingly obsidian colored grass looking hair on his head.

As she saw him walk away to the orange updated version of the Slave I, the Slave II, on the platform outside where it rained, she looked at the object left in her hands. And the words inscribed onto its wooden confines:

Hope.

..

..

* * *

 _A/N: Hope you all had a Happy New Year! And will have one!_


	10. Chapter 10: Sold by Fate

Chapter Ten: Sold by Fate

..

..

Jai boarded the Slave II with his yellow bag over his shoulder. He looked around the ship, yet didn't really recognize the interior, but it looked small.

However, he didn't really have a lot of time to take it in, as he walked up the ramp into it, Roe Fett was standing right there, hands on his hips, above his Westar 34's.

A voice rumbled from underneath his orange Mandalorian helmet, "Any others?"

The ramp lifted behind Jai, and the boy shook his head as it closed, the Slave II still completely immobile on the landing dock, rain pounding outside.

"Good." Roe mumbled quickly in his clone trooper accent, drawing his silver pistol from his right hip, and blasting him with blue rings in seconds, not allowing him to react.

The bounty hunter spun the pistol around his orange gloved hand, placing it back in its quick-fire holster and picking up the stunned boy off the ground, carrying him to the cockpit with his permissive strength.

Eela watched as the Slave II rose off the ground from her signature window for storm watching, seeing the bounty hunter piloting the ship away as a stunned Jai was knocked out next to him.

All she saw was the ship flying away, not the two in the black colored cockpit.

The spiky black haired boy was passed out in his black leather straps tying him in to the passenger's chair little Boba Fett used to sit in. The other twin had her right fist wrapped tightly around the leather chain, the square wooden pendant hanging off it, Hope still proudly carved.

..

..

"Wake up kid." The Fett ordered, pulling the orange Slave II out of hyperspace with a pull of a lever.

Jai stayed asleep, Roe poked him in the cheek with a gloved hand, making him stir, "Mm."

"I said wake up, we're almost there."

"Wha…what?" The teen asked, his eyes opening slowly, speaking in the same accent as his mother, "Where am I?"

The bounty hunter said nothing from under his orange helmet, still looking forward as he flicked a few switches on the console. The yellow bag filled with the orphan's clothes were being kept under Roe's seat, showing he intended to sell them perhaps.

Seeing the massive amounts of weapons the Fett had, Jai dared not resist his capture. But he did question it.

"I-is that Mandalore?" He asked, seeing its yellow tinge.

"Best planet in the whole galaxy."

"Why'd you stun me?"

"Had to."

"Why?"

"Shut up kid, or I'll do it again." He threatened gruffly from under his helmet, which was the same as his father's only it was orange.

Jai instantly fell silent, as the Slave II descended downwards into the planet's atmosphere passing lightly yellow colored clouds.

Roe piloted the ship down into the docking bay manually, holding the black double handed center control stick hanging off the ships console and guiding it downwards.

A few tan skinned beings called Shi'ieks, small, round and short, instantly surrounded the ship, cleaning it as it hissed, after landing completely.

The ramp lowered, the Slave II opening, as Jai was dragged in power cuffs out of the ship, Roe tightly clamping his right fist onto them to control him.

"Why am I in power cuffs? Aren't I supposed to be your ward?"

"Shut up boy, don't make me stun you." He threatened, making him quiet instantly.

As he was dragged through the streets, buildings made of light brown bricks about him. Jai still asked questions, multiple beings passing by them in droves.

They were all very strange, some wearing wooden masks, and having black face paint drawn on their purple faces under their hoods. The city resembled Mos Eisley a little, only the beings were very different, and the buildings had a light brown brick color to them.

"Where is this?"

"Welcome to Geewa. Mandalore's proudest fighting city." Roe muttered from under his helmet, ducking under a low hanging line filled with strange meats in the market place.

"Geewa? Don't they sell slaves here?"

Roe said nothing, still keeping his fist wrapped around Jai's power cuff link, not allowing him to escape.

"You're selling me into slavery?"

The bounty hunter sighed from his orange helmet, "Ren's declared Mandalore a lawless system. It can do whatever it wants under its independence, as long as it doesn't bother his Empire."

"But I-"

He drew his pistol, the button still marked on stun, "Kid. Shut up."

Jai saw the silver end of its barrel, and became silent.

They reached a small shop looking place, where there was a bearded and middle-aged man, leaning on his wooden counter.

"Oi! Yeawa!" Roe hollered, still dragging Jai around, now into the being's shop.

The slave master gave a toothy smile, "Ey! The Fett boy! What do ya got for me today?" He asked in the local Mandalorian accent.

"This." He said, offering Jai by dragging him forward.

The man leaned forward, squinting…before nodding, "Looks good. Bring 'im in."

Yeawa the slave master, raised the wooden counter and allowed Roe to drag in Jai by his cuffs.

"Hmm…" He mumbled, eyeing him up and down inside his shop, "Seems fairly tall." He noted, seeing how he was only a small bit shorter than himself, "Somewhat built." The man stroked his black bearded chin, "Where'd you get these muscles boy?" He asked, poking his arm.

"I had a lot of energy in my little orphanage. Lot of anger about being stuck there. Did a lot of swimming." The teen said shrugging.

"Hm." Yeawa murmured, "I'll take him. How much?"

"How much?" Jai asked in shock, "How much? The Empire will hear about this!"

"Ren has more important matters than some orphan boy at the edge of the galaxy." Roe noted calmly, "Like battling Hux and the rebels."

"Again, how much are we talking?" The slave master asked, as Jai balled his contained fists in anger.

"Had to drag him all the way in from Kamino…let's say 1100."

"600." Countered Yeawa.

"1000." Roe bargained.

"800."

The orange armored Fett sighed deeply, "All right."

Yeawa chuckled to himself, walking off to get Roe's money while Jai snapped at the mercenary, "I'm sure you make the Fett family proud."

"My father and grandfather sold themselves, and their blasters for money. Can't see why I can't sell other people for money too."

"Because I'm not a slave!" Jai yelled, trying to squeeze his neck using the force.

Only it didn't respond.

The boy was confused, as the slave master cursed himself trying to find where he put his money.

 _Why? Why can't I control it? Is it because I don't know how to?_

After the man returned and passed Roe his credits, the mercenary took a gold bar out of the bag, raising the Imperial standard in the air, "Ah, thanks Yeawa."

"My pleasure." He chortled smiling, as Jai still refused to resist, knowing the man could hurt him, like Roe could before.

When the Fett walked out of the shop, the slightly taller and much stronger Yeawa looked at him with his hairy arms crossed in front of his white slave master's robes, "So. You will fight in The Pit for me. Make back my investment. If you won't…"

After moving up his dark brown pant leg, Yeawa clamped a small silver metal cuff around the orphan's left leg, right above his ankle, tiny needles entering his skin and making him wince, "This device will activate."

There was a similar looking cuff around Yeawa's left wrist, pointed to by him, "If I touch this button your cuff will release a poison into your blood, killing you in moments."

"You're a monster!" Jai yelled in his power cuffs.

"I'm just a special kind of business man." He answered simply, before drawing a small blue electrical hammer and tapping his power cuffs, de-activating them and making them fall off.

Tapping his metal covered wrist to indicate he could kill him, Yeawa then ordered him about, "Follow me boy. Or else. Poison."

Jai nodded, eyeing the metal device placing tiny needles into his skin, fearing what they could release.

..

..

After walking him to The Pit, an enormous Colosseum similar to the ones on Geonosis only vastly larger, Yeawa pressed a button on a small black panel next to a metal gate. The gate was on the outside of The Pit, and the cheers of the ravenous and enormous crowds could still be heard there.

After the gate rose upwards quickly, a long dark tunnel was revealed.

Guiding the orphan inside it, Yeawa spoke to him, "You will sleep here, and you will live here." He said, tapping one of the two long wooden benches built into the wall with a hairy hand, "This is The Pit. The owners of this place will pay me for your performance, so don't die until you've made me my money back. A few galactic weeks and that'll be it."

"But I-"

He cut him off instantly, nodding to the other metal gate at the other end of the tunnel, "That will open in a few moments. When it does, you have to go out there. If you don't…" He rested a finger above the button on his wrist, making Jai nod instantly.

"Don't die. I need my money back." He muttered, turning around from speaking to him to leave.

Jai reached for him, "Wait! When will I be free?"

"When you've made me enough money. As much as I want really."

"And when will that be?" The orphan implored.

"Boys…or people who keep asking questions don't last long on this planet. You'll find out about that soon enough." He muttered quietly, the slaver leaving before shutting the metal gate on his way out. Locking it with a quick flick of a button.

Jai sat down on the wooden bench, leaning against the cold cement of the tunnel behind him.

He smiled, glad he had decided to give Eela the necklace.

Suddenly, the Force made him sense something.

The orphan was slightly angry in his dark brown robes, that it had chosen to work for him when it pleased, but still stood up, feeling it.

He reached under the darkness of the bench across the tunnel from him, feeling something cylindrical, cold and made of silver.

Jai took it out in the faint sun light brought in from the gate on the other side of the tunnel, gasping slightly in surprise.

He read aloud the inscription on it, after eyeing the circular gold rings on it, "This is the property of…Jedi Master Mace Windu…."

Jai fell onto the wooden bench behind him in shock, looking up at the tunnel's roof.

Somehow. By sheer luck, the blade of an old Master Jedi had wound up in The Pit of Geewa, a fighting city of slaves on Mandalore.

He smiled, thankful for his luck.

But it turned into a frown, remembering he was still a slave to Master Yeawa.

Jai pressed the button on its silver hilt, a huge purple laser blade humming as it extended in front of his face, lighting up the tunnel with its glow.

The boy tried to cut open the metal cuff link around his ankle, but the metal was too strong, even for a lightsaber.

Sighing, the boy's spiky black haired head whipped to the metal gate that whisked upwards.

He squinted slightly in the sunlight, deactivating his blade as it retreated back inside the saber, the purple laser hissing as its crystal turned off.

Jai, still gripping his new silver lightsaber adorned with gold rings on it, walked outside with a hand in the air over his eyes, protecting them from the powerful Mandalorian sun.

The crowd cheered, and the orphan began his destiny, walking out into the arena from the darkness of the tunnel.

..

..


	11. Chapter 11: Bound by Desire

Chapter Eleven: Bound by Desire

..

In the Mandalorian city of Geewa, there were no white armored Stormtroopers marching about due to the planets independence, and barely any beings walking in the usually busy market place.

Almost everyone was at the cities Pit, a massive stadium for gladiators. There, Jai lowered his hand from covering his face, hearing the crowd roar as the metal gate behind him whisked downwards, trapping him inside the Pit.

A man covered in red war paint and wearing a brown toga shouted from his announcer's box in the planet's native harsh tongue of Mando'a, "Ade be tal! Olarom at haar Pit!" _(Children of Blood! Welcome to The Pit!)_

The crowd only roared louder after this, as Jai moved around in a circle, his spiky black haired head tilted upwards, as the enormous Pit full of thousands of spectators, who were mostly war paint covered human Mandalorians, but also a variety of other beings of multiple skin colors, cheered loudly.

The war paint of the spectators of the Pit, or Children of Blood, ranged from light green to glowing light blue.

Jai was still wearing his dark brown orphans robe, gripping the silver metal of his saber.

"Par ibi'tuur's geroya! Mhi ganar eyn goyo shiksteen simir ruug'la, fimi a kashyyykian reek!" _(For today's game! We have an orphaned sixteen year old, fighting a Kashyyykian Reek!)_

Jai had no idea what the announcer was yelling, but felt fear flood through his body upon hearing a loud continuous clanking sound sing behind the cheers of the ravenously bloodthirsty spectators.

It was the sound of a gate rising, a large one at the edge of the large tan brown ring that was the arena.

In the pitch black cave that was revealed, there were two large glowing yellow orbs.

The beast's yellow eyes turned to the boy, its massive black pupils dilating.

Stepping out into the arena, its massive snout huffing, the crowd cheered louder. The beast was on all fours, massive, and hungry, strong and ready to kill. It was rhino-esque, and had two long and sharp horns hanging off its chin, curved in a crescent moon shape, and a third one on its flat red forehead.

The Kashyyykian Reek was like most Reeks, only naturally much larger, faster and stronger. This much was apparent while it was standing in the powerful sunlight on its four massive two fingered hooves.

It had deep and dark red skin, showing it was starved and ravenous.

The orphan gripped his saber tightly, pressing the button and activating the purple crystal.

"Bic are haar iiwe ne ake a jetii's ruug'la mewa!" _(It appears the gladiator has found a Jedi's old sword!)_

Jai raised his blade, as the Reek roared loudly, the crowd of Mandalorians cheering voraciously.

He pawed the ground raising dust, before rushing Jai, his horns ready to kill him.

The orphan tried to pierce the beast's left eye beneath its third horn on its head, only for the charging monster to knock him aside, twisting his head to send him flying, knocking his purple blade out of his hand as he flew.

Grunting as he hit the rim of the arena, the crowd kept cheering, eager to see what happened next, and for blood to run.

Jai stood up slowly, his slightly blurry vision sharpening with a growing feeling, seeing the beast run at him again, tumbling forwards quickly off its four paws.

He rolled to the side, on his left, letting the beast with the large black nose ring smash into the wall next to him.

Coming out of his aversive side roll, he picked up the still un-sheathed lightsaber, walking backwards in his light brown boots with his blade extended in hand.

Cheering loudly, the spectators were still off their feet in anticipation, howling.

The orphan smiled, wiping some sweat off his forehead before noticing the massive bruise on his stomach the Reek gave him when thrown.

It ached terribly, but suddenly, the beast backed out of the wall, turning around slowly, the boy still swallowing and recovering from his own impact as well while backing away himself.

Jai kept backing away from it, the humming blade still in his sweaty palms as he inched away from him, his boots passing over the dusty ground of the arena.

Still roaring and off their seats, the crowd watched from their stands above, waiting for one to slay the other, the two slowly moving to the center of the arena, the beast making direct eye contact with the boy.

It seemed impossible to win, the beast's horns were simply longer than the saber's violet blade.

Backing away from the center, Jai left the beast there, who pawed the ground, raising more dust, before growling and then roaring in anger.

It all hit him.

Not the beast.

Fury. Like the fires of Mustafar, it all bubbled together in him like an iron melting feeling.

Seeing the Reek coming towards him, Jai clenched his jaw, gripping his blade tighter.

The anger, the frustration of being stuck on that planet knowing nothing of his parents, rose up in him like a building super charge to a Death Star.

Until it released the second it rose.

"Rraaaa!"

In a single roar of anger, he jumped into the air, sprinting towards the beast too.

He did a front flip, willing himself off his somewhat muscular legs, soaring over the beast's horns.

Jai then landed on the Reek's right side, and before the monster could react, he dug the purple blade right into the beasts red flank, making it roar in pain.

The crowd cheered loudly, as Jai yelled in anger, running up onto the beast's enormous back and sitting on its head.

There was no mercy in his angry and young heart, all he saw was the monster who tried to kill him out of its own hunger, and ended it.

He drove the tip of his lightsaber directly into the back of the Reek's neck, making it give a final roar before collapsing.

As the crowd went wild, cheering while howling for the art they came for, they began tossing meat towards the victorious gladiator, as was common to reward Pit fighters in such a manner.

Jai extended his saber free hand, and caught some of the juicy red flesh flying towards him, before digging his mouth into it, enjoying the taste the Children of Blood shared with him for his performance.

He loved it.

The furious feeling unleashed in his chest, that became so liberating. Like a knot untied. The taste of the meat rewarded and given to him.

Spiky haired and free willed, the orphan laughed a little while continuing to eat the cooked meat thrown to him, free at last from his supposed white prison of an orphanage.

..

Jai laid on his back when night came, plenty of good meat already used as building blocks for his new muscles being sculpted during fighting, eaten happily. There were no spectators, only him.

Now, as the Monster had been defeated, the gate to his tunnel was open.

There was nothing in the entire arena, except the orphan looking up at the stars.

From there, it appeared the gargantuan arena that was The Pit was a massive eye, and the galaxy an infinite canvas to gaze upon.

Trillions of stars twinkled, the boy staring up at them, thinking.

His entire life he had barely seen the galaxy at night, but then...

It was if the entire universe was blinking in front of him, the destinies of every being engraved onto a star. It almost seemed like Eela was speaking to him, her words whispering in his mind.

She wasn't in reality, only the boy was imagining his twins wise feminine voice in his mind, speculating and guessing on what she would say then.

 _If a storm is our dreams, rising, ebbing, and flowing, and our destinies are like the downwards spiral of the galaxy, the stars must be like the lights of our dreams, its purest form of desire, risen from the watery depths of the storm... Beams of bright hot fire, risen from the tumbling dark waves, until they become strung on a chain, spiraling downwards together._

Jai smiled, Eela would definitely say something like that. He had guessed right.

But if he had imagined something wise, out of his own mind, then what had he achieved?

The boy considered this, his hand reaching for the blade at his side.

Still laying on the ground, the back of his short spiky black haired head resting in the murky depths of the puddle, he grasped the cold silver metal of his blade, thinking deeply.

 _I always considered what my destiny is. Or what it will be like, and where it will take me. I understand nothing more than the slaving cuff above my ankle, and what it makes me do. Fight. Kill. Survive._

 _I understand nothing more than that, and that is my purpose._

 _However._

 _When I slayed the Reek, I felt a release in my chest, almost as if there was a star breaking inside my body._

 _A certain containment of anger, all dissipated into nothing. Becoming like one of those dreams Eela would talk about, unfolding in my heart. A falling wave._

 _Even if Master Yeawa released me, I don't think I would leave this Pit._

 _Where would I go? Back to that wretched orphanage to do nothing? Search for my parents who abandoned me? Who I don't even know?_

 _I don't know. Perhaps. Perhaps not._

 _I truly know nothing, nothing except for this._

 _All I have is myself. My blade._

 _And that is I all I need._

 _To fight, because I love it. To unleash my fury. To fight for the thing I hold most dear to me: my life. My destiny. Myself._

 _I gave the wooden pendant to Eela because I knew that on my journey, there should be nothing except myself on my body. Nothing other than that essential hunger to pursue my own destiny. For I know nothing else, because I understand it._

 _And that is all I know._

He held the lightsaber in front of him, activating it with a click of a button.

As the purple blade hummed in front of him, the boy spoke aloud, the dark violet light shining on his young and handsome face, "I fight...for what I love. To chase my destiny, releasing my frustration."

Standing up, the muddy puddle water still on the back of his dark brown orphans robes, Jai walked to the stands, to think.

...

Jai sat in the spectator stands, looking into the empty Pit.

A small light blue glow was felt on his right cheek, before it turned for him to look at it.

The orphan stood up and staggered back a little, "Wha-What the-Who are you?"

"Jedi Master Ytikwa." The ghost said, before sitting down next to him in the stands.

"How can I see you right now?" Jai asked in disbelief, before blinking and seeing the ghost.

"Only users of the Force may see a Jedi's ghost."

He was a Nautolan, meaning he had green tentacles hanging off his head, and deep black eyes.

The ghost watched as the boy said back down slowly, "So, I'm sure you're curious as to how your new lightsaber ended up in one of the gladiator's tunnels."

Nodding affirmatively, Jai kept looking at him.

Ytikwa shook his green head, continuing to look at the pit, "Shortly before the Clone Wars ended, Master Windu was killed by Anakin Skywalker. His blade was found at the foot of the building of Palpatine's office, showing he likely lost it before dying."

"So how'd it come here to Mandalore?"

"I happened to be doing my duties as a Knight, chasing a few street rats into an alleyway, when I sensed it had fallen there. After finding it, I wished to return it to him. Upon realizing the Jedi were being persecuted, I went into hiding, but not before I paid my respects to the fallen Master Windu. Then..."

"Then what?" Jai wondered.

"Then the Empire found me."

His black eyes turned from the orphan he was speaking to, to the tunnel where Jai had emerged from, "His father was a Pit fighter, a slave, same as you are. Only a small number of Jedi Masters know this, but I did. So I laid his blade to rest eternally under his father's old bench in his tunnel, as a token of my respect for him. I never knew Mace's father, I only respected his son. In turn I respected them both."

Ytikwa smiled lightly, "But I'm sure it's much better in your hands now, you need it to survive."

"Wait, Jedi Ytikwa?"

"Yes?"

"Why can't I use the Force properly? It responds to me when it pleases, but not when I need it."

"Most likely because you simply are untrained my son. Only someone with true knowledge of it, may bend it to their will." He said, standing up before turning away slightly to leave, "Our dreams guide us towards our destiny, I find it disheartening to see your destiny chained. But perhaps liberated."

The boy smiled at him, "I think you'd like my sister Eela."

Then the Master's ghost began to walk away.

"One last thing!" He sparked up, "Who are my parents?"

The Jedi's ghost smiled again warmly, "I wish I knew that child, but I am afraid I do not know that."

"Goodbye Master Ytikwa."

"Goodbye child."

The blue ghost turned around and disappeared, before Jai leaped into the air, rolling out of it when he landed back in The Pit.

When standing up out of his roll, he returned to his tunnel, laying on his wooden bench and falling asleep.

..

..


	12. Chapter 12: Binary Logic

Chapter Twelve: Binary Logic

..

..

As always, Eela was staring out the window overlooking Kamino's daily storm. The rain pattered against the glass pane, tiny dots accumulating on it, as she kept looking past her reflection. She had no idea why, but it all made sense to her. The random crackling of the lightning strikes, the endless rain, the dreamlike toil of the waves. Entropy is something that can only make sense to someone who witnesses it, she believed.

But the girl was holding on to the square wooden pendant strung by the leather chain her twin brother had given her. She gripped it tighter in her fist clenched in front of her dark brown robed chest, still sitting on the windowsill like she had for years past.

She wasn't worried, Eela had not even the faintest idea of his recent enslavement, but something else bothered her.

Staring at the markings on her pendant, tiny swirls and other engravings on the wood, Eela became slightly frustrated.

Perhaps it was the fact that this was the only thing that challenged her in her entire life. She understood she couldn't know who her parents were, Jai didn't. She understood she had to stay stuck in the orphanage, Jai didn't. But there was one thing that still confused her.

 _Where did this necklace come from?_

Eela stood up off from the windowsill, moving out of instinct.

Instead of being logical, she was instinctual, rare, but moving in her stride across the familiar white halls of the orphanage.

There was an empty room, which used to be Jai's bunk. Eela had never used it, but all of her brother's things had been moved out.

She rubbed her chin, thinking while looking down at its floor.

 _The orphanage simply does not have a large enough data base to identify the pendant's culture or origin. But if I can ask for help from the other colonies, perhaps they may have enough data for me to cycle through._

Her long straight black haired head bobbed, nodding.

 _I'll have to make a cycling program to find where it's from. But if I really want to know, it'll be worth the effort. She nodded, I'll go speak to Mother Wei._

..

The colony Mother had aged close to nothing as most Kaminoans did, but looked up from her lap when Eela entered her white colored study.

"Mother Wei?..."

"Yes child?"

"I need...some help."

"With what Eela?" She asked in her naturally light voice.

"There is this necklace." The girl said, lifting it off from around her neck, the japor ivory wood held in her palm, "I want to know where it came from."

"Well." Wei said, blinking and slowly uncovering her large black eyes with white eyelids, "I am afraid I cannot help you with that."

"I know, but is there a way I can speak to the other colonies?"

"There is a communicator setting on your data pad, it is connected to the other colonies. Beyond that, I know nothing."

"Thank you Mother Wei." She said quickly, the teen turning to walk back to Jai's room.

..

When she reached it, she took out her blue lighted data pad and sent as many messages as she could to every colony possible. Getting right to work, she began to make the cycling program on her beloved data pad.

After typing away on it, she nodded, completing it.

Then she looked around her twin's utterly empty room.

 _All right. Sorry for doing this Jai, but I don't see this as a space to sleep in, it's a place to think. I don't see a place, I see a cube...a cube..._

Eela nodded, laying her data pad on the floor, letting a hologram display a small map of the galaxy for her to work off of.

Nodding, she flicked a button on it, letting them expand to the rest of the room, planets and star systems glowing on the blank white walls of Jai's room.

She ran to the eatery of the orphanage's cafeteria, getting white and sharp kitchen utensils to stick into the wall, piercing the systems shown by the hologram.

Moving the symbol recognizer from her room to the data pad, she hooked them together, before drawing long balls of blue plastic twine from her pocket.

Standing in the center of the room in her dark brown orphan robes, she looked around her creation.

 _I can track the movements of cultural origin from system to system, eventually, they have to lead me to the original location, which is where the pendant must've come from._

Eela looked at the japor snippet pendant in her palm.

 _It's time to find out where you came from little guy._

 _.._

 _.._

 _.._

Jai was sitting down at a small cantina in Geewa, on his stool, sipping some blue milk. It looked similar to the one in Mos Eisley, only there were tall metal stools. His back was turned to the entrance, two swinging black plastic doors, through which, a large group of men walked.

After almost a month of pure Pit combat and meat, he had become a beast of muscle and speed, and he only became stronger with each passing day.

Continuing to sip his blue milk, he heard a voice rumble behind him, "You swiped my credits slave boy, a market placeman saw you. Give 'em back."

He turned around in his stool, seeing the man.

The bald man was incredibly tall, his Mandalorian buddies counted no less than twelve, who were strong looking humans like him, wearing simple grey peasant robes as well.

"You extorted this money from helpless civilians. And I'm afraid it's currently been spent on this blue milk I'm drinking. Where I live doesn't have a lot of good drink sadly. Doesn't pay me anything either." The black spiky haired boy said calmly, "Now if you'd let me finish it, that'd be nice."

"Do you know what this is boy?" The brute asked, tapping a long black stick at his hip, "It's a shock stick. And I'm gonna use it to break your neck if you don't give me back my money."

"Have you gone deaf chief?" His incredibly muscular lackey corrected next to him, "He said he spent it all."

"That true boy?" The man asked, hand resting above his weapon at his right side.

Jai was tempted to unsheathe his lightsaber and cut the men down but decided against it. Instead, he stood up and made the man step back a little.

Now risen, the slave boy had grown stronger and even taller. He was a tiny bit taller than the man threatening him, but the brute-ish leader shook his head, "There's thirteen of us, and one of you. How you gon' fight us?" The man asked in his Mandalorian accent.

Feeling a fight brewing, the other beings in the cantina all fled, the bartender leaving and hiding.

Jai wasn't remotely afraid, he had fought larger and more frightening monsters than mere men several times over the past galactic month. His rule was if they drew a blaster on him he'd draw his blade, if not, then hand to hand only, it was not his objective to kill them.

The slave smiled.

The man drew his shock stick and activated it, the blue tendrils clicking and hissing.

Yelling, the brute rushed him, trying to hit him over the head with it.

Jai simply caught his wrist, wrenched the shock stick out of his hand, and drew his fist back.

Sending it flying into the man's nose, the slave had the strength to knock him out with a single punch, a huge wapping sound being created when he was knocked onto the ground, out cold.

His twelve accomplices all ran towards him.

Dodging a punch from the thug to his right, Jai ducked and popped a brute by cracking his left grey robed knee and making him drop onto the ground, shrieking in pain.

Jai then kicked him in the face, his left foot knocking him cold with his blurring brown boot.

A thug tried to punch him in the face, only to receive a blurringly fast punch clean across the jaw, the blow so powerful a few of his teeth flew out of his mouth before collapsing onto the ground.

Two thugs tried to punch him at the same time, Jai hunched downwards and punched one in the stomach with his left hand, and smacked the other in his grey robed stomach with his shock stick, right handed.

Both men fell to the ground, out cold from the strength of the blows.

Now numbering eight in all, the remaining thugs back off a little.

One ran towards Jai, yelling loudly, only for the slave to dodge a punch and use his massive strength and reflexes to pick him up and throw him.

The man went flying, crashing into a wooden pillar supporting the roof of the cantina as Jai kept fighting, being knocked out cold upon hitting the pillar.

Catching a punch with crossed hands and pushing the coming blow upwards, Jai kneed the coming thug in the gut with a risen right leg, making him drop to the floor clutching his stomach, rolling over from its incredible power.

Jai picked up another Mandalorian thug in his grey robe suddenly, and threw him to another one, the two crumpling to the ground upon being knocked out, their heads colliding together as the boy wanted.

Only four remained, all of whom rushed Jai at the same time.

The slave ducked downwards, sweeping one's leg, making him drop and hit the counter of the bar knocking him out, and popping another in the face with a clean right punch, knocking him out as well.

The other two tried to land hits, only for the incredibly fast and strong slave to dodge their blows and grip the collars of their grey robes.

They were swept off their feet as Jai picked them up, each of his muscular arms, right and left picked them up after their punches missed.

After bringing them together and cracking their heads together with his great strength, the men fell to the floor cold.

Every thug had been knocked out, only one was left, keeling over and clutching his stomach marked with the massive bruise on it, his black haired head bowed as he grunted in pain.

Jai looked over the loads of men he had defeated, all of them on the floor.

He shrugged, he had defeated bigger beasts for breakfast.

Sitting back down at the bar, the slave rubbed the top of his spiky jet black haired head, and resumed his drinking of his beloved blue beverage calmly, as though nothing had happened by muttering to himself, "So uncivilized."

"Ah...nothing like a drink after a fight." He said, wiping some ocean colored liquid from his mouth with a dark brown sleeve, and seeing the aging white haired bartender emerge from farther inside the barkeep.

"A-are they gone?" The elderly man asked.

"Yeah." He muttered, nonchalantly ignoring the dozen knocked out Mandalorian thugs about him. One of them had recovered from being kneed in the gut, and stood up and growled, running towards the slave at the counter.

"Yaaaaa!"

"Ohp! One more!" Jai muttered smiling, raising both obsidian colored eyebrows and turning around and rising out of his seat.

He knelt, and matching the man's momentum being used to run up and punch him with his own strength, gripped the grey material at his stomach, and the brown material of the thug's belt, before hurling him over the counter while still on the ground.

Looking over his head, greying scalp tilted upwards, the bartender watched as the man was thrown high into the air.

The thug waved his hands about in the air after being thrown, before crashing through the glass of the cantina on the other side of the bar, tumbling out into the street.

The bartender winced, before turning to the boy who sat back in his seat again. The man noticed the silver object with the gold rings being concealed by Jai's orphan robes.

"Why didn't you use that and cut them all in half?"

"I didn't want to make a larger mess than I had to. Also, I didn't want to kill them."

He finished his drink, resting the white and see through plastic cup onto the white counter and leaving his seat.

Jai flicked the man a gold Imperial coin, after fishing it out of his stolen bag of credits, not before apologizing, "Sorry about the mess."

The boy left the bar smiling, his thirst well satisfied, returning to the Pit to prepare for the coming game the next day.

..

..


	13. Chapter 13: Binary Fates

Chapter Thirteen: Binary Fates

..

..

Eela fixed her dark blue robes, breathing in deeply while fixing her satchel at her side. She walked into Mother Wei's office.

"Yes?" The Kaminoan asked from her white desk.

"Mother Wei...can I tell you something?"

"Yes child, you may."

The black ponytailed girl looked at her, "I found the origin of my necklace. It's engraved with Tatooine-ish luck symbols. I understand my destiny now. It's to find who my parents are. I won't rest until I find out who they are. I know that you know, or if you don't, but you won't tell me anyway."

"Eela, where is this coming from?"

She raised the japor snippet pendant laying on her chest, "Fate is crafted by who we are Mother Wei. I'm out to craft mine. My brother's lack of patience has worn me short too I'm afraid. I finally have the most important bit of knowledge the galaxy has given to me, helping me understand who I am."

The Kaminoan stood up out of her white egg like chair, before hugging her suddenly, the black haired girl so tall her head reached the bottom of Mother Wei's tall neck.

"I understand child. To help you on your journey, I will give you two things." She said lightly, walking to her desk and pulling it open.

She dropped a metal object into her hand, "This is a DT-12 blaster pistol."

"Are you giving a weapon to a teenager?" Eela asked, looking at the blaster dropped into her palm.

"Well, you need to protect yourself don't you?" The tall Kaminoan asked looking at her with her large black eyes.

As the girl nodded, a small black chip was placed in her hand, "What is this?"

"The Galactic Ferry will take you from anywhere you want in the galaxy to anywhere else, it is coming by our colony today luckily. I always thought I'd be giving this to Jai one day, but it seems he flew away without it. I bid you farwell Eela, stay safe on your travels."

Eela suddenly hugged her tightly gripping the white material of her robe, "Thank you Mother Wei. Thank you."

After she left, walking towards the landing platform outside, Mother Wei collapse into her chair, smiling and sighing happily.

For the first time in sixteen years, she could rest happily, knowing she did her one job.

..

..

The same kind of green civilian transport ship that carried Padme and her secret lover Anakin to Naboo was waiting outside the landing platform at the orphanage. The green ship was so large that it matched the floating orphanage almost in size.

Eela looked back at the orphanage, the rain pattering down on her before the light of the ship opened with a sliding green door.

 _When I saw the result screen of the location of my japor snipped pendant, I knew one thing: My destiny had to be chased. My brother has left, and so will I._

The girl entered the green transport ship, beginning her destiny.

Removing her blue hood from her head, the four armed orange being at the entrance spoke gruffly to her, "Transport ticket."

Eela nodded, placing the black chip into the orange being's calloused hand.

After a loud dinging noise was made, the orange being grunted, passing one of his four hands over his thin white hair, "Accepted, destination?" The being asked, his finger scrolling through his data pad on his console.

"Er...Tatooine."

"Tatooine is a planet Missy." The being grunted, "Where on Tatooine?"

Using the vast knowledge at her disposal, Eela instantly knew the largest settlement in the system, "Mos Eisley."

"That's our next stop. Take your seat." The four armed being grunted out again.

The girl walked to a long line of dark green chairs, multiple beings of different species strewn out amongst them, sitting.

Eela sat down in her dark blue traveling robe by the window on the highest floor of civilians, feeling the huge transport lift and float away.

After it blasted away into lightspeed, the black ponytailed girl looking out the window thinking, the blue recesses of hyperspace floated by.

 _I understand that Mum wanted me to stay in that orphanage. But Jai was right, any person shouldn't have to live through that torture place of boredom. If I'm so obsessed with logic and knowledge, I should pursuit it further._

She gripped Padme's japor snipped necklace at her chest, thinking deeper.

 _Analogies are my favorite thing. Dreams are a storm. Destiny is the spiral of the galaxy...And this necklace is my desire to explore to gain more knowledge. That's all this is. My quest to answer my greatest question has just begun._

Eela kept watching the galaxy flow by from her window, leaning her head against it while thinking.

 _My brother left the orphanage. He's all I have. There's nothing tying me back to that stormy planet. But Mum must've insisted I stay, but I'm afraid I won't find out who she is there. We must all choose our own paths. If she truly wanted me to be under her control, the most logical choice would've been to keep me with her. Mum made a choice, and now I will make one._

The black ponytailed girl let her satchel containing her blaster stay at her side, looking out the window towards the blurry blue mass that was hyperspace.

..

..

The green civilian transport ship lowered itself onto the massive hangar used for machines as big as it.

A long dark green platform lowered, and Eela walked down it, gripping her satchel tightly.

Her black boots rested on the sandy ground of Mos Eisley, and the dark blue robe wearing girl watched as the transport flew off.

She shrugged, wondering where she would head to next.

As she walked about the busy marketplace, loads of beings walking by, Eela went to each vendor's stand and showed them the japor snippet necklace.

Each of them shook their heads when she asked, "Do you know where this comes from?"

The beings, all of them of different species at their vendor's stands, shook their heads, as the black haired girl came to them asking questions.

A small detachment of stormtroopers keeping the peace marched by, along with droves of wandering beings, looking to buy things in the market place.

"Do you know where this comes from?" Eela asked again, showing another vendor her necklace.

"No. Sorry Missy." The human said, handing another Jawa a small basket of his wares.

She shook her head.

 _I've asked every vendor here where the necklace comes from. There has to be someone who knows._

Sitting in a dark alleyway thinking, an old crone reached out with a withered hand, "Hello Missy, are you looking for something?"

"Yes. Can you tell me where this necklace came from?"

"Let me see it." The old woman said, leaning on the other side of the alleyway with a purple shawl over her body, "Hmm..." The woman said looking at it.

"Well, where is it from?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." The crone croaked, "But if your heart can tell you where to go, then it may lead you where you need."

 _That's stupid_. Eela muttered in her mind. _Your mind tells you that. Unless..._

The girl stood up and walked out of the darkness of the alleyway, the Force willing her to follow her destiny. Her black boots moved, out of instinct she knew where to go.

 _I don't have any credits. How will I get there?_

Two Jawas crawled into an old red X-34 sandspeeder, trying to steal it after a battalion of stormtroopers marched by. Naturally, Eela did the logical thing and stopped them. Her blaster clicked drawing it out of her satchel and threatening the two small beings, "I want that speeder you're stealing."

They looked at each other before running away screaming.

"All right Eela." The black ponytailed girl said to herself sitting in it, "You know how to pilot this thing. Can't be that hard."

There was the pilot's joystick, sitting right in front of Eela, instantly grabbed by the sharp girl who pressed the blue button atop the right handle.

The girl pushed it as the thrust turbines powered up, starting her journey out of Mos Eisley, piloting the speeder away out of instinct.

..

..

Eela stopped, the speeder's thrust turbines whirring down as she left it walking towards the moisture farm.

The black scorch marks were cleaned off, and the corpses were gone, a few families from other farms must've done it out of respect.

Walking down the steps into the homestead, her black boots dusting the musty ground, the girl looked around it.

The second her hand touched the light brown pourstone dome of the homestead, the farm rippled, as if something in Eela's mind was showing her something through the force.

"Stop! You there!" A stormtrooper said, pointing at her from outside the dome with his batallion. Eela was so frightened she didn't even notice the stormtrooper was wearing older gear, from Palpatine's Galactic Empire, not Ren's.

"I'm so so sorry I'll never steal again I promise!" She begged.

The stormtrooper ran into the homestead, ignoring her.

Eela gasped a little when the white armored man walked through her, as if she was envisioning the scene.

The girl raised her thin black eyebrows.

 _Am I imagining this through the Force?_

Two troopers pointed their blasters, "Come out of that room now or we'll shoot!" One ordered through his old helmet.

The white door to their room swished open, and a middle aged couple left their room, hands raised in the air.

As the woman screamed and protested, the stormtrooper grabbed her elbow, "Come on lady, let's move!" He ordered under his white helmet.

The two men grabbed the couple, dragging them outside, forcing them up the same steps Eela walked down, Imperial standard blasters pressed to their backs.

Black haired and curious, Eela followed them, gasping when seeing an entire battalion of Sandtroopers standing outside.

"We found 'em Sarge." A trooper said, still holding the man's elbow, releasing them and pushing them forwards.

Eela watched as the Sandtrooper wearing the orange patch nodded, "Good. Are you two Owen and Beru Lars?"

"Yes." The man kneeling said, his arms raised over his head with his wife.

"Are you currently in possession of an R2 unit and a protocol droid?"

"Yes." He said looking downward, "How is that illegal? What is this?" Owen protested, raising his head and looking at him.

"Quiet citizen." The Sergeant ordered, "Where are they? Where are the droids?" He asked through his helmet.

"W-we don't know." Beru said lying, not wanting them to know the truth, trying not to burst into tears.

"You don't know? Did you just lie to an officer of the Imperial army woman?"

"N-no." The woman said before begging, "We didn't do anything wrong! We're innocent we swear!"

"Innocent? You've just confessed to owning stolen Imperial property. That's rebellious activity citizen." The Sergeant nodded to his troopers, who ran off into the house at once.

"What are you doing?" Owen exclaimed, "That's our home!"

The stormtroopers started a fire inside the dome, before speaking in unison when leaving it, "Order's completed Sergeant."

"Good job men. Blast 'em." He ordered.

"O-owen." Beru stuttered out, as the couple sobbed while kneeling, "I love you."

Eela covered her eyes when the blaster shots came.

When her hand moved, the fire was gone, the couple kneeling were gone, and so were the sandtroopers.

She noticed the three tombstones at the side of the homestead, walking over to them.

Eela read them aloud, "Here lies the body of Shmi Skywalker. A mother, a lover, and a slave. And here lies the bodies of Owen and Beru Lars. Farmers. Lovers. And parents."

The girl shook her head, confused.

 _Why is the Force showing and telling me all this? How am I connected to it? I still don't understand._

Eela saw the sunset approach and went inside the homestead.

It was completely empty, no doubt the respectful families from the other farms had removed all the burnt items from the house. The black haired girl's hand wrapped around the japor snipped necklace.

 _The Force guided me all the way across the galaxy to here. Why?_

She shook her head.

 _But I must not give up. I will not rest until my quest to find out who I truly am is complete. My identity and place in the galaxy has always been something I ignored, until Jai inspired me._

Thinking about her twin brother, the girl walked to the dunes outside, walking up the steps that lead out of the homestead, the sunset beginning.

As she stepped up the dunes outside, the girl looked off into the horizon, the same curiosity that drove Jai driving her two, the two bound by the same thing: Youthful adventure.

A long drawl of wind slipped from the air, raising her sleek black ponytail.

The girl stared off into the sunset, thinking.

 _If I truly am wise, then why must I stay on that wretched orphanage? Jai was so right, why did it take me this long to realize it? If our destinies are like a spiral, then why must mine stay stuck at the top? It's only logical that it must move downwards, beginning, or I'll never answer my question..._

 _Who am I? Who is Eela the Orphan?_

As she kept staring off into the binary sunset, her old red sandspeeder behind her saying nothing, all her wisdom flowed in her mind. To be free of the white constraints of that orphanage was what the orphan truly desired, but it took her long after her brother's departure to realize it.

But the galaxy still was a strange place, and Eela a sharp minded girl.

The female twin closed her eyes whispering to the Force in her mind.

 _Tell me who I am. It's the only question I can't answer._

She shook her head, walking back inside the homestead, wondering what she planned to do the next day.

..

..


	14. Chapter 14: A Bonfire of Dreams

Chapter Fourteen: A Bonfire of Dreams

..

..

Jai smiled, stepping out into the arena from his tunnel for what seemed like the trillionth time to him. The crowd of the Pit cheered for their favorite slave, as the bright Mandalorian sun gleamed on his taut muscles.

After over a year of fighting, the upper half of his orphans robes had been torn off, and his upper body became chiseled. Scars adorned it as lines of battle memories, and the boy activated his most beloved object, his purple blade.

A loud amount of screeching filled the arena as seven tall green Acklays entered the arena from multiple gates, getting ready to pierce the seventeen year old with their claws. He grinned, deactivating his sword for a moment.

The crowd became confused, but the seven Acklays came at him shrieking, trying to kill him.

A shadow of pure rage flew upwards into the sky holding a purple lightsaber that became activated in the air, leaping onto the back of an Acklay. Having slain hundreds of beasts over the past year, the boy had no second thoughts, beheading the beast while standing on its back.

"Rrrraaaaaahhh!"

Growling loudly while venting his rage, Jai leaped onto the head of an Acklay, screeching and trying to bite him while the others attacked. Jai mounted the green beasts head, while his fellows dug their claws into its head, trying to kill the boy.

But the slave just chuckled as its friends accidentally killed it, and jumped into the air again, using his powerful leg muscles. Jai spun in the air while beheading another Acklay, sending its oblong green skull flying into the air. He grunted, falling onto the ground as the remaining four Acklays ganged up on him.

Standing on the ground and moving about, Jai simply sliced off another green claw when it came towards him, making the animals trying to kill him shriek in pain. Merciless in his revenge, Jai leaped into the air again, becoming a black dot in the sun before flying downwards and making multiple purple lines soar around the arena. His lightsaber was moving so fast it appeared it had blurred, whizzing through green Acklay skin so much that the beasts shrieked, not even being able to see the boy cutting them to pieces. When his rage induced slaughter ended, pieces of Acklay laid about the arena.

The bloodthirsty crowd was off its feet, throwing meat to reward the slave for his performance.

"Shol'shya Kyr'amur Par Jai Te Imoya!" _(Another kill for Jai the Slayer!)_ The announcer screamed from his tall box.

Jai bowed to the crowd before picking up another piece of cooked meat that was tossed to him, digging his teeth into it and fueling his growing and defined muscles. Yeawa smiled, his investment just might be paid off today.

..

"7900...8000...Hm." Yeawa was sitting in his slave vendors post, counting the credits Jai had made him fighting in the Pit. He rubbed his scratchy chin before looking at the young gladiator in front of him, "Boy?"

"Yes master?"

"Do you know how much money you've made me this past year?"

"8-8000 Imperial Credits?" Jai asked, seeing the pieces of gold strewn about his masters desk.

"Looks like my investment has been made back." He tapped a button on his electronic bracelet, making the ankle cuff around Jai's leg fall off, "You're free now."

"B-but where do I go? What do I do?"

Yeawa shrugged, "Not my problem. I'm sure mercenaries are always looking for good strong warriors like you."

"Hm..." Jai looked aside thinking, "What lies beyond Geewa?"

"The wastes. Nothing more. You might find some mercenary camps there. Or..."

"Or what?" Jai asked.

"Or you could become a volunteer Gladiator. You don't have to be a slave to fight in the Pit."

Jai said nothing, still bare chested after loosing part of his orphan robe in the Pit.

The boy looked downwards at his feet, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"So what're you going to do in the wastes?"

There was silence, the ankle bracelet that made him a slave had been part of him for so long that it had literally imprinted itself onto his skin. Jai looked to Yeawa, "I have no idea."

Shirtless and looking like he was made of muscle, the spiky black haired seventeen year old began to walk through Geewa for the first time since he arrived there as a free man. His legs began to move out of their own will, their masters mind not guiding them.

Standing at the edge of the Mandalorian city of Geewa, the boy looked down at his scuffed brown boots. Before walking off into the wastes.

..

The wastes were really incredibly sandy plains similar to those on Tatooine, only they weren't as hot. Dunes were more common, but the boy kept walking. Jai started to walk as if there was no end, his legs moving forward and forward. He looked into the horizon, bringing it to him.

When night seemed to approach, trouble found the young orphan.

Sand falling off their hulking metal bodies, hundreds of B2 battle droids emerged from the plains around him. He had wandered so far from Geewa that the city was no longer in sight, only plains for miles. The battle droids aimed their fists at him, loud clicking noises being emitted from their arming.

Jai had heard how old Confederate units had been left out in the wastes of Mandalore simply to let them sit there when their use was not needed, as a reminder to the fading Separatists that their rebellion against the Republic was futile and aged. However, there were tales of how a single Confederate commander had reprogrammed them to kill anyone foolish enough to travel into the wastes alone, just to spend eternity ending civilians.

The shirtless and tall orphan looked around, his taut muscles cracking as he flexed, his battle scars from the Pit lining his torso. He gripped his silver blade, the purple crystal activating and hissing as its laser left the sheath.

His eyes seemed to glow white in rage as he roared so loudly his deep voice could be heard across the plains. It echoed across the sea of battle droids surrounding him.

Flying into his attacks, he deflected thousands of red blaster bolts in seconds while growling loudly in rage. He cut apart metal like it was nothing, so powerful were his strikes that purple lines were followed by the explosions of lines and lines of B2 battle droids.

They kept firing, but he kept blocking as they fired, before sprinting at them and overwhelming them with incredible force. A black blur flew between battle droids, moving so fast that he crushed them by cutting downwards, sideways and in so many lines that purple became a resonant color with black among the battle droids, destroying them.

Jai leaped into the air again, but the Force responded to his rage fueled will, and he hit the ground so hard that the ground warped under him, sending defeated battle droids flying away. More followed, firing red bolts at him with impunity.

He just did a high front flip in the air flying over them before landing behind them.

Summoning all the volcanic earth shattering rage inside him, Jai growled baring his fangs like an animal and clenching his fist, pausing thousands of shots while still in the air. Jai released them , sending them flying back towards the black B2 battle droids that sent them.

Waves of B2 battle droids fell to his rage, flying through them with furious strikes, his purple blade becoming a blur like him, cutting open battle droids so quickly that he appeared to be moving in one fluid motion, somehow cutting apart dozens of them at the same time.

Red pinpoints appeared in the battle droids vision, seeing a black haired blur of rage sprint towards them. He growled, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees and slicing through thirty of them in a single blow, explosions filling the air as their upper halves flew into the air.

Only twenty of them remained, and the boy decided to sheath his blade, and use his strength to beat them to pieces. He punched one in the back so many times its circuits were destroyed, he jumped over it and landed behind its deactivated carcass, using it as cover before summoning the power of the Force again, sending the battle droid flying towards his buddies.

Three of them crumpled together, before Jai launched into the air again and landing between two battle droids. He punched them both so hard, that his fists flew through the layers and layers of metal, punching out their circuits in seconds. Jai tore off the arms of two battle droids and beat them into heaps of scrap metal in what appeared like one single second.

When he was finished unleashing his rage, steaming piles of defeated battle droids laid about, in piles of dozens. Now he had crushed hundreds of battle droids channeling his pool of rage through his amazing power, with the help of the force.

Jai wiped aside some sweat, having done so much movement that any other person would've collapsed.

He watched as mercenaries appeared around him, aiming their guns about wildly, trying to find a single battle droid to fire upon. Only there were none, all had been crushed.

Jai looked around, seeing them approach in their gear.

One of them asked a question, "What happened?"

"I...I was walking and these things came up and tried to kill me. So I just..."

"All of them? Every single one of them?" A Mandalorian mercenary asked in disbelief.

"Y-yes."

The looked at each other in shock, lowering their rifles.

..

He was taken to their camp, a large collection of brightly illuminated tents sitting at the bottom of a massive sand dune. At the top of the dune laid a small hill, where Jai blinked, watching the camp from above it, seeing the lights of hundreds of mercenaries below him.

A girl approached the lone warrior at the edge of the dune, wearing a brown dress, long blackish brown hair and a pretty smile, "H-hello."

The orphan said nothing, resting his elbows on his knees while his lightsaber sat between his legs.

"My name is Sylvian Tico. What's yours?"

"Jai."

"Just Jai?"

"Jai the Orphan." He murmured in his deep voice.

"Oh. Well I was just here to try and recruit soldier for..."

Jai blinked, saying nothing while staring out over the camp.

Syl shook her head, standing behind him on the tall dune that over looked the camp, "I heard about what you did. You defeated hundreds of battle droids, all by yourself."

"I did so because I had to."

"You did?" The pretty girl asked, "Why?"

"There was no other way, its just in my nature to fight with my sword."

Syl stood behind him, seeing the many scars that marked his sculpted torso. All that he was wearing was the old dark brown trousers that were part of his orphans robes. He blinked again, "I'd rather fight with my sword than run away."

"So you destroyed hundreds of battle droids, because its not in your nature to run away?"

Jai looked back at her, seeing her pretty face for a moment before turning back to admire the camp, "Yes."

He began to speak, "But defeating all those battle droids has no purpose. My sister, Eela, whom I admire very much, roots herself in logical ideals, to attain a purpose. What do I have? A will. Eela's actions have a weight to them, more powerful than my random acts of rage."

"Jai. I-" Syl stopped speaking, looking aside.

"Some view huh?" Jai asked, looking over the camp, "I've never met a mercenary before. I am afraid that seventeen years in either a blood Pit or an orphanage hasn't given me much of that er...outside interaction. But looking out over all those lights..." He trailed, looking over the huge amount of electric lamps, "I can hear my sister's words again. About destiny, about fate, and...dreams."

Syl looked into the huge dune that held the mercenary camp, "Like a bonfire of dreams..."

Jai smiled back at her over his bulging muscular shoulder, "Wow, that was beautiful. You almost sounded like my sister."

The girl looked aside, ignoring the comment.

He gripped the silver blade between his legs, before activating it, the purple crystal powering his will, "This. This is my will. To fight, because I know nothing else. What my sister has, a purpose to become wiser and more knowledgeable about the galaxy isn't just something she shared with me. Rather it is something that allows her to be granted something beyond just fighting for no reason, it gives her a reason. A purpose. After a year of fighting in the Pit of Geewa, I understand now that I know nothing else except how to fight. Nothing else, except to pursue my destiny. I don't want to join a mercenary band, or sign up for the Rebellion or join the Imperial ranks. All of that gives me a purpose, but not the one I understand...Which is to fight for myself."

"The rebellion could use you."

"I'm the only person that needs myself. And the only one who matters in this galaxy. I never met my parents, I'm not like Princess Iana, granted eternal prosperity because of my fathers connections, rather I am my own man, created by my own actions. Fate led me to where I am now, and there is no one to blame for where I am, but myself. And I will exercise that until I die."

"So..." Syl stood up and looked at the spiky black locks on his head, "Where will you go?"

"Wherever my blade takes me. Wherever I can, fighting for myself." He deactivated his sword and tucked it into the pocket of his brown trousers, standing up and beginning to walk away, "I'll meet you again. Syl Tico."

Jai walked off into the night, letting his will take him where he needed, the pretty blackish brown haired sixteen year old girl looking off after the shadow that walked alone.

..


	15. Chapter 15: Temple of Light

Chapter Fifteen: The Temple of Light

…

…

Jai eventually trudged on from the mercenary camp in Mandalore's wastes and wandered about them, purple saber at his side, strong build and spiky black hair all scruffy as usual.

As he walked, he felt something inside him click and his feet began to move as if something beyond himself was guiding him to a specific part of Mandalore.

When he reached it, his brown eyes looked into the depths of the thick Mandalorian jungle. The former slave stepped foot into it and began to explore, Windu's old blade in hand. The first thing Jai noticed about the jungle was the sounds, multiple creatures around him all sung their songs in different tones, making an orchestra Jai had never heard before.

Creatures croaked as they batted their leathery wings overhead, and Jai's dusty boots kept trudging through the jungle not knowing what he was looking for. But the answer was simple. He was hungry. It was food.

Being a very temperamental and aggressive boy, Jai ignited his blade and tried to find any morsel he could gorge on. He remembered how tasty the meat thrown at him was back at the Pit of Geewa, and actually began to miss his days as a Pit fighter from his hunger.

Finally, he found a tusk cat drinking water from the jungle's river. Jai sheathed his blade and sat calmly in the bushes of the jungle preparing to strike it down for its meat, but he hesitated a little when the tusk cat's children bounded up to its legs.

He squinted at them and placed a hand on his stomach, still feeling it rumble. Between starving and killing a family of tusk cats, Jai would choose the tusk cats.

When he placed his thumb on the ignition button of his lightsaber, a voice rang out behind him, "You'd really murder such an innocent thing for food?"

The family of tusk cats scampered off but Jai activated his sword and spun around, "Who're you!?" He shouted.

"Name's Iren. Yours?" The man in his mid-twenties with black hair answered.

Jai answered with a question still pointing his purple blade at the man, "What're you doing in this jungle?"

"What're _you_ doing in this jungle?" Iren murmured.

"Why're you repeating my question?"

"Why're _you_ repeating my question?" Iren answered.

Jai grunted, "Stop doing that!"

"Stop doing that!" Iren chuckled as he shifted himself on the jungle bush he was standing on, "But please, answer my question."

Jai shrugged, "I don't know what led me here. Something just told me I had to come here."

"That was the Force." Iren blinked.

"The what?" Jai asked, not really knowing what it was.

"The Force." Iren repeated.

"How do you know what that is?"

Iren smiled, "Read it in a book. Come, I'll show you where I found it."

Jai unsheathed his lightsaber with a hiss and followed the man through the unknown jungle floor, "Do you have any food with you?"

"Yes yes I have food." Iren smiled.

As they walked through the Mandalorian jungle, Jai continued asking his questions, "Why would you ever be in a jungle like this?"

"I live here. Also I thought someone like you would stumble around here at some point."

"Someone like me?" Jai was still confused.

Iren sighed, "Someone strong with the Force. Someone I could train."

"Train? Train in what?"

"The ways of the force. It is incredible how slow you are boy." Iren murmured.

"My name's Jai. Not boy."

"Fine. Boy." Iren smirked.

Jai wondered about something, "What exactly _is_ the Force? Think I might've used it before, but I don't really know why or what it is."

Iren kept walking, leading Jai through the jungle, "I was as clueless as you, but now I'm not. I used to be a stable boy on Canto Bight. Till one day." Iren turned around and showed Jai a gold ring he had on his finger, "Two resistance fighters gave me this."

Jai saw how Iren turned the little gold nob and showed the carmine resistance symbol inside the ring.

"I never really knew what the Force was, only used it to grab brooms faster. One night I looked up at the stars and knew it."

Jai scratched his spiky black haired head, "Knew what?"

"I had to learn what the Force meant. The Force lead me here how it led you I suppose. So, eventually I stumbled upon a Jedi Temple here." Iren explained.

"Jedi?" Jai bit his tongue, "Aren't they extinct? Thought the Empire got rid of them all."

"Tell me boy. Is that extinct?" Iren flicked his nose upwards and Jai looked at it.

A massive abandoned structure made of stone covered in jungle vines stood in all its glory.

"Sort of." Jai shrugged.

"Come, I'll show you what I was talking about earlier." Iren led Jai into the temple.

Jai looked around the temple, "I've been in one of these before. When I was little I went to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant with my sister."

Iren chuckled and his voice echoed through the old halls, "This is the oldest temple in existence. The first scripts were written here when man first discovered the Force."

Jai whistled and it echoed through the long halls, "Wow."

They stood in the center where the temple's pillars ceased and there was a large circle with the symbol of the Force marked on it, "Right here," Iren pointed to the symbol engraved on the temple's stone floor and his deep voice echoed through its halls, "Is where Master Vol discovered the Force for the first time in the galaxies history millennia ago." Iren looked around the abandoned and vine filled structure, "And built this temple. The Lost Temple of Vol. The first Jedi school ever created."

"So how do you know all this?"

"I'll show you." Iren flicked his head to the side and Jai kept following him deeper into the temple.

Iren raised his hands when they walked through a small archway in the very center of the temple, "The very first Jedi Library."

Jai just blanked, "Uh…it's just a couple of books."

He was right, the room was very small with only two rows of dusty bookshelves.

"Not just any books." Iren took one out and opened it, "The last remnants of the Jedi Order. The Texts of Vol, the first books ever recording the Force. Most Masters thought this place didn't exist, lost to history I suppose. Not anymore." Iren smiled.

Jai looked at him, "Are you a Jedi Master?"

Iren laughed loudly in surprise, shutting the ancient book shut, "Master? No, I just spent about the last seventeen years of my life reading from these texts and training myself in what they were about."

"These…books showed you how to be a Jedi Master?"

"No. They only helped me use the Force better." Iren looked around the two rows of them on wooden shelves, "I can never become a Master without a Master of my own to train me. But you could say I know more than anyone alive about the Force."

Jai sighed again, "I don't know who I am. I've been an orphan for most of my life, and a pit fighter for the past year."

"Would explain the muscles." Iren saw Jai's sculpted and shirtless upper body.

"I just…can this…Force tell you who I am?" Jai asked the old stable boy turned student of the Force.

Iren shook his head, "No."

Jai frowned, "Oh."

Iren smirked again, "But I can. You must be the son of two very powerful Force users. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ever stumbled into this jungle by accident."

"What if I was just an orphan boy looking for food in the wastes?" Jai asked.

"Then you would've joined a mercenary group or have been sold into slavery by now. Or worse, died."

"I already was sold into slavery."

"By whom?" Iren asked.

Jai balled his fists, "Mercenary named Rou Fett. I want to kill him."

"Jedis…don't kill." Iren shook his head.

"They sound boring then." Jai admitted.

"They-" Iren shook his head, "You like killing?"

The tall boy shrugged, "Not _people_ other than Fett. I've been killing beasts as a slave for the past year, it's not fun, but I wouldn't call it boring either." Jai said.

"How old are you Jai?"

"I'm seventeen." He said.

Iren looked to the books he spent his life reading, "Well, I've been training since I was eight. The younger the better Vol's scripts say."

"Bet I could beat you in a fight." Jai crossed his muscular arms.

Iren nodded, "Right."

"No really I've taken on Acklays, any beast you can think of from any corner of the galaxy."

Iren shrugged, "Go ahead then."

Jai ignited his saber and swung at Iren with all he had in the blink of an eye, but Iren just dodged the slash, the purple blade passing just over his face. Iren then drew himself right behind Jai in a flash and used a Force move he read in one of Vol's texts and practiced thoroughly.

He pushed his hand into Jai's toned back and the orphan went flying into the wall, the Force summoned after years of practice. He crumpled against it with a groan, his saber rolling from his palm onto Iren's boot.

Iren summoned the blade into his hand with the Force and admired the humming purple sword, "Hm…where did you find this and how?"

"It was in my old tunnel back in the Pit. It's a long story." Jai grunted in pain when he stood up against the wall and wiped blood off his lip, "How…how could you beat me? I fought in the bloodiest arena in the galaxy, against monsters for every day of my life for a year..."

Iren sheathed Jai's blade and placed it in the boy's now weak palm as he knelt in the Library in front of him, "The Force isn't…" Iren pushed Jai's muscular arm, "This…The Force is…" Iren tapped Jai's forehead, "This."

"Can…can you teach me how to use the Force?" Jai coughed.

Iren nodded but asked a question, "What're you saying?"

"I want to be a Jedi." Jai murmured.

Iren smiled, "You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting to hear that."

…

…


End file.
